Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse
by Grey-X
Summary: Soon after Usagi learns that Naru is a mutant, anti-mutant hysteria hits Japan hard, thanks in part to a mysterious new enemy with mutant abilities known only as Eclipse. As her country begins to tear itself apart, Usagi will have a bit of help when some of the X-Men travel from the United States looking for new recruits, and she'll learn what it really means to be a superhero.
1. Welcome, True Believers!

Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse

A Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 1: Welcome, True Believers!

2-4-2017

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon was originally created by Naoko Takeuchi and the property of Toei Animation. X-Men was originally created by Stan Lee and is the property of Marvel Comics and Disney.

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The midday sun beat down on all the personnel ousted from Cape Citadel, an incessant barrage that surely only punctuated the simmering frustration they all felt. In one fell swoop, a single man had come out of nowhere and forcibly exiled them from the missile base, using some strange, unearthly power. All as a means for this terrorist, this… Magneto, as he called himself, to show the destructive potential of his kind. Mutants, he called them.

Kenji Tsukino had heard the word uttered from time to time, but never quite understood its meaning when referring to people. Indeed, the newspaper that currently employed him hadn't assigned him to spend several months in the United States to brush up on emerging subjects within sociology and genetics. But now, along with the rest of this country and perhaps soon the world, Kenji was learning firsthand that these rumored 'mutants' were very real. As was their power. Power that let one man effortlessly seize missile silos. And if this was just a demonstration, the first part of what this Magneto planned, Kenji shuddered to think what the mutant terrorist aimed to do next. Japan had already suffered the fury of nuclear weapons firsthand. Such carnage could not be unleashed again.

Tears welled up in his eyes, thinking of his wife Ikuko back in Japan, seven months pregnant with their second child. And his little girl, Usagi. If Magneto was every bit the madman the base personnel made him out to be, he may never get to see them again, or their unborn baby. From what Kenji gathered in interviews thus far, Magneto was obsessed with proving mutants should be ruling the world, and would do anything to pave the way for their ascendancy. As his thoughts kept drifting back to his family, a strange thought crept up. Supposedly, these mutants were born with their powers, and more and more were being born each year. Would his own children be mutants? Would they have power greater than Magneto's?

But at the moment, it looked as if no one was equipped to oppose Magneto. Certainly not what the U.S. Army had amassed thus far. Volley after volley of shells lashed out toward Cape Citadel, but nothing was getting through the forcefield erected around the entire base. Kenji scribbled some things down, half-thinking it was pointless if Magneto got control of the missiles themselves. The shells detonated uselessly against the barrier, and Kenji could almost sense Magneto laughing contemptuously at everyone outside.

Eventually, seeing the futility of the bombardment, the base's commander called off the attack. "Cease firing! It's useless! We haven't anything in our arsenal that'll penetrate Magneto's magnetic forcefield!"

"To all intents and purposes, he's in full control of the installation, while we're on the outside looking in!" chimed in one of the generals.

Kenji began working his way over to them, hoping to get some more interview material, assuming a nuclear holocaust wasn't unleashed by nightfall. But then, Kenji heard another voice, one completely unfamiliar to him. To add to his confusion, it sounded like the voice belonged to… a teenage boy? "With due respect, General, I represent the X-Men. Perhaps we can help."

 _X-Men?_ Kenji wondered as he stepped closer. Despite his fluency in English, the phrase sounded odd to him. Did he hear that right? In all his years as a reporter, Kenji never heard of such a group. Who were these X-Men?

When he got close enough to see who was speaking to the general, Kenji got more questions than answers. Indeed, it was a teenage boy, in some bizarre blue-and-yellow costume. Kenji thought he and the other reporters looked out of place, but this boy stood out like a sore thumb. He had a blue hood over his head, leaving only the lower half of his face exposed. And covering his eyes, some sort of ruby visor, making him almost look like a cyclops.

The general whirled around to eye the boy up and down, and his grim expression grew even more sour. At length, he demanded, "Look, we're having enough trouble with one guy in a cornball costume! Now, who or what are the X-Men!?" Kenji was getting the feeling that, like with Magneto, he'd be reporting on these X-Men a whole lot more in the future.

"No time to explain, sir!" said the boy quickly, pointing toward the base. For such a young man, he seemed quite dutiful, sure of himself. "I respectfully request you to hold your fire for fifteen minutes while my partners and I go into action!"

Kenji expected the general to tell the costumed youngster off, but to his amazement, he said, "Alright! We've nothing to lose, but I feel like a damned fool!"

His voice still filled with confidence, the boy said, "You won't regret it, sir. X-Men… ATTACK!"

As Kenji looked on in confusion, he was dimly aware that it was getting a little colder, despite the blazing sun overhead. Moments later, his teeth were chattering uncontrollably. Some of the troops were complaining about a cold snap as well. Looking around, Kenji's eyes widened again as what looked like another young man, covered in chunky ice and snow, charged past all of them. He was muttering some apologies, but sounded as confident as the other 'X-Man', and even more eager to tackle Magneto.

Then, to add to the insanity, Kenji heard a voice _ABOVE_ them! "At last we'll have a chance to use all the training the professor gave us!" Looking up, Kenji saw another youngster in one of those blue-and-yellow costumes. But instead of a visor, he sported huge, white wings!

A nearby soldier echoed Kenji's bewilderment. "A walkin' snowman, a guy with wings flyin' above us!? Wha-What's next!?"

He got his answer when what looked like a human gorilla used him to leapfrog toward Cape Citadel. As Kenji watched that impossibly huge yet agile… beast of a man charge at the base, he suddenly found himself thrust aside by some invisible force. And he wasn't the only one being pushed aside; other soldiers toppled over along with Kenji.

Then came another apologetic voice, but this time, it was a girl's! "Sorry boys, but this is the easiest way to clear a path for myself." Picking himself up off the dirt, Kenji looked back to the base. Indeed, that was definitely a girl in one of those garish uniforms, some red hair sticking out from her hood. She ran toward Cape Citadel after the others, betraying the same confidence and sense of purpose.

As Kenji watched them go, it was clear that Magneto wasn't the only mutant revealing himself to the world today. These five teenagers, it seemed they were ready, expecting a fellow mutant would one day try something like this. Clearly, his earlier notion that no one was equipped to oppose mutants like Magneto was in error.

He looked back down to his notepad, furiously scribbling things down. Somehow, those five kids filled him with hope. He'd be home in time to see the birth of his son, see his family again. And if his little Usagi did turn out to be just like those five kids, Kenji could only hope she'd be just as capable and brave…

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The world around Naru Osaka was fast becoming a blur as she desperately tried to pry off the hands choking the life out of her. And Naru still couldn't quite process that it was her _OWN MOTHER_ trying to wring her neck! The day had started like any other, with her best friend Usagi showing up late yet again. But soon after Usagi left her family's jewelry store, their patrons suddenly began fainting one by one, and her own mother turned on her.

Confusion and fear swelled within Naru as she futilely kept trying to pry off the hands clamping down on her throat. After desperately sucking in what little air she could, scared out of her mind, Naru managed to croak something out. "Mom, stop it! What're…y-y-y-you doing!?"

Through the haze brought on by oxygen depravation, Naru glimpsed how her mother's face twisted into an even more hideous, sneering scowl. "I'm not your mother, you little fool!" she shot back, in a voice that sounded like a cruel mockery of her mother's. It sounded so distant, on top of her mother's snarling face now becoming as fuzzy as everything else. But still, Naru was hanging on enough to see one last unthinkable thing. Her mother's face, was it…changing!? Naru's heart hammered as that face twisted and reformed, the skin becoming something brown and rough like tree bark, the eyes turning coal-black except for hideous, sallow irises. "I've got her locked up in the basement. And after I polish you off, I'll send her to join you!"

Naru was dimly aware of this …thing hoisting her feet of the ground as she finished her taunt, just as her thumbs pressed down on her throat even tighter. Convinced it was over, Naru felt herself letting go, slipping away. But as everything began to finally fade to the blackness of utter oblivion, Naru heard another voice, impossibly distant, yet firm and resolute. "Let go of Naru!"

A hint of surprise shone in those ghastly black-and-yellow eyes, right before that thing's head spun around 180 degrees. But at that point, Naru couldn't care less about more weirdness piling up. Despite being on the verge of blacking out, Naru heard that creature demand who shouted that. And the answer they received would stick in Naru's head forever: "I am the guardian of love and justice, Sailor Moon! And in the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

The creature spluttered something else as she turned her attention to this Sailor Moon, letting Naru drop unceremoniously to the floor, seconds before death's sweet release would finally come. Still, what happened in the next few moments were a blur, as Naru flitted on the verge of unconsciousness, laying on the shop floor. In the days that followed, as Naru tried to piece it all together, she could recall screaming and crying. A _LOT_ of screaming and crying. Including one bout of bawling so intense, it rattled her skull and _FINALLY_ made her black out.

But only for a few moments. When Naru's eyes fluttered open again, she found the strength to lift her head up and look around. Her vision was still fuzzy, but whatever had gone down, it looked like that monster that impersonated her mother was long gone. The bodies of the shoppers who fainted still littered the place, but they were stirring too. Yet there was one person who was already up and about, walking toward the front door.

Squinting, Naru thought she could make out the silhouette of a young girl like herself, in some sort of sailor fuku. But there was something odd about her. Twintails done up in the odango style that swished about as she made her exit, the thumping of knee-high boots growing more distant as she faded from view. Carrying herself with a gait that betrayed both timidity and… some unknown purpose, even to her.

No doubt this was the 'Sailor Moon' that rushed in and saved everyone. She called for someone, anyone to help, and got an answer.

At first, Naru figured she dreamed the whole thing up. But at school the following day, other girls who had been there said they all had the same dream! And then this Sailor Moon popped up more and more. The eyewitness reports said that this girl was quite klutzy, and a bit of a crybaby, but somehow always got the job done. And then _MORE_ of these 'Sailor Senshi' started showing up…

And Naru was enamored by the Sailor Senshi. Idolizing them, wanting desperately to _BE_ one of them. Especially after her first love, a former enemy of theirs named Nephrite, died in her arms. She wanted to strike back at his former masters, get payback for Nephrite personally, but had to be content with her faith in the Sailor Senshi. That they would finish the job. Faith that was unshakeable.

Or at least, it used to be.

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Just as dawn broke across the horizon, shedding its gentle rays upon the wreckage of Juban Odyssey, the alien beings known as Ail and An began their ascent, taking the sprout gifted by the dying Makai Tree. With one last look of thankfulness down at Mamoru and Sailor Moon, the two of them smiled before shooting themselves up into space, leaving a calm yet awkward silence in their wake.

Sailor Moon watched them vanish up into the brightening sky, hope welling in her heart as Mamoru held her close. It was such a relief for a long struggle to end this way. No one died, and their former enemies learned the error of their ways, and were off to begin anew. The complete opposite of when the Dark Kingdom finally went down. Nephrite possibly on the path to seeing the light before Zoisite's goons cut him down right in front of Naru. And despite how Queen Beryl's crimes could never really be forgiven, Sailor Moon had felt a little sorry for her. Of course, those qualms were nothing next to seeing her fellow Sailor Senshi die right in front of her, one by one, and then forced to fight Mamoru before _HE_ died. And all those horrible memories, rushing back in an instant, when Ail and An first appeared.

So much pain, so much suffering. But at least, this one time, things ended on a happy note. Ail and An learned important lessons, albeit the hard way. If only more conflicts could end this way, instead of raging on and bringing nothing but ruin. Why couldn't it be that way more often? But right now, the future could be awaited with a sense of hope. Leaning into Mamoru a little more, Sailor Moon muttered, "I'm sure those two will be happy together."

Sailor Moon squealed a little with delight as she felt Mamoru's hands press her close to him. "Yeah, I'm sure of it," he replied.

Pulling away a little to look up into Mamoru's eyes, Sailor Moon then said, "And I'm sure we'll figure out a way, too…"

It looked like Mamoru was about to pull her close again, possibly for a kiss, which made Sailor Moon tingle with excitement. But of course, the moment was fated to not last. The rest of the Sailor Senshi just _HAD_ to come up out of nowhere, all teasingly shouting "Good for you!" in unison. Mamoru and Sailor Moon sheepishly looked around at their prattling friends, their gently teasing faces making both of them blush a dark shade of crimson.

"I need to find a boyfriend, too!" exclaimed Sailor Venus.

"I want one like Mamoru!" Sailor Mars chimed in.

"Hey hey HEY!" Sailor Moon shot back quickly, suddenly concerned. "You can't have my Mamo-chan!"

"Just kidding, meathead!" Sailor Mars replied with a smile.

And so it went on, now that the battle over the Makai Tree was over. But unbeknownst to the Sailor Senshi, a new conflict was brewing right there. As they talked, right before vacating what remained of Juban Odyssey, none of them noticed a woman watching them from far across the roof.

The rising sun was to her back, so even if the Senshi had looked in her direction, they probably couldn't have made out her face. On top of that, big, dark glasses obscured her face, along with a head full of long, disheveled raven-black hair. Her hair wasn't the only unsightly thing about her at the moment. She pulled herself up onto a huge, upturned chunk of concrete that had been part of the roof. Her hand was bloody and even sported what were probably minor burns. As more light filtered across the condo's roof, the blood dribbling down her face could be seen as well. Though her eyes were hard to make out, there was now no mistaking the tears that streamed down along with her blood. And given how her teeth gritted as she peered over the concrete chunk at the Sailor Senshi, one could hazard a guess that those eyes were full of hatred and pain.

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The lights flickered on and off in the room outside the robotics lab, which was quite disorienting. Of course, in this line of work, one learned to ignore such distractions. Steadying her breathing, Sailor Uranus kept her back pressed against the wall, right next to the door leading to the laboratory. Sailor Neptune did the same at the other side of the door, sharing a knowing gaze with her partner. Their search for the talismans, and the dark forces trying to beat them to those powerful relics, had led them here tonight. Their enemy's next victim was supposedly the one in charge of the robotics lab. Without a reliable means of extracting and examining a pure heart themselves, Uranus and Neptune had to rely on waiting for their enemy to make a move, and tonight was no exception.

Both of them would stop at nothing to secure the three talismans first. Still, despite how hard she knew Neptune could be, Uranus caught her partner's scowl in that flickering light as one of their enemies spoke. "Ugh, I can't wait till the professor finally perfects the Daimon eggs. So far, hunting and examining pure hearts has been too bloody slow," came an arrogant, sing-song voice. "So, what do you think about this pure heart, Telulu?"

"It's hard to say, Viluy," replied a voice brimming with almost as much imperiousness. "It's… doubtful this pure heart contains a talisman. Yet, it's so different from the others thus far."

"Hmmm, perhaps some further examination at our facilities is in order," replied Viluy, malfeasance dripping in her voice along with haughtiness. "Even if it's not a talisman, I'm betting some… enticing discoveries can be made with this one."

With another look over to Neptune, Uranus nodded to her. It was go time. Some might accuse the two of them of being cold, inhumanly so. Their plan, after all, was to sacrifice whoever had the pure hearts that held the talismans. But it was only because they saw no other choice. The way these two seemed giddy about sacrificing someone for their pure heart, even if it had no talisman… It made Uranus's blood boil. Sacrifice should be made _ONLY_ when necessary!

But something had already given the two of them away. Just as Neptune and Uranus were about to storm through the door, Viluy shouted, "Wait Telulu, my nanobots just picked up some movement… Telulu, the door!"

Uranus only caught a glimpse of a woman with green hair in some strange black garb. 'Garb' was being too generous, as it seemed her arms and legs were only covered in some weird black strings. This Telulu beat them to the draw. Before either Senshi could unleash an attack, putrid vines shot out from something on her wrists. Instead of ensnaring the two of them, however, Telulu knocked over a steel cabinet on the other side of the door, aiming to make it topple onto them.

Fortunately, with her strength, it was a simple task for Uranus to shove it aside. But in the brief moment needed to do so, Telulu and Viluy gave them the slip.

"They got away," Neptune spat acidly. "Oh well, there's always next time. For now, let's check on their victim."

Uranus and Neptune cautiously walked across the robotics lab, broken glass crunching under their feet. They spotted a consistent yellow glow amid the flickering lighting in the lab, coming from the other side of an oak desk with a computer. Uranus wasn't quite sure what they'd find, but to her relief, the glow came from an extracted pure heart.

Telulu and Viluy were right about this one. For one thing, the cross-shaped crystalline structure was a noxious, sallow color instead of the usual pinkish-red. As she knelt to examine it more closely, Uranus's gaze drifted over to who it was ripped from. One of the lab's staff, no doubt, given that she was wearing a white coat. Even with the glow of her pure heart washing over her, her face was hard to make out, given the long, raven-black hair spilling over it, not to mention the big, dark glasses. Plus, she wasn't tall at all, looking quite puny on the floor, propped up against her desk.

Looking back to her pure heart, Uranus sighed. "They were right, no talisman here." With that, she gave it a nudge forward, and it retreated back into its owner. Annoyed they had struck out yet again, Uranus rose, fists clenched. "Come on, Neptune. There's nothing left for us here."

But Uranus and Neptune barely took a few steps before the woman croaked something out. "So… s-s-s-she's got some new recruits." The two of them whirled around to stare down at her, but those dark lenses still obscured her eyes. "This… changes… nothing…" the woman got out before blacking out again.

They stared at the downed lab worker a moment longer, the uncomfortable silence broken when Neptune asked, "What… do you suppose she meant by that?"

"Who knows? Who cares?" Uranus replied dismissively. "Whatever she was babbling about, it has nothing to do with us."

Not sparing the lab worker another thought, Uranus made her way off the premises, Neptune right behind her. Unfortunately, Sailor Uranus would learn in due time that it most certainly _DID_ involve her, her partner, and Sailor Senshi they had yet to meet. And if Uranus had had the patience to stay a little longer, she might have found a clue as to what on the computer screen. Telulu and Viluy's victim had been ambushed in the middle of her work, which was still displayed on the screen. Schematics for her creations. On the screen were things like turbine engines of various sizes and power, a minigun…

But most telling was one word near the bottom of the screen, the only one in English: **SENTINEL**

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A gentle drizzle began to fall onto the park, just as the sun was disappearing behind Tokyo's skyscrapers. Thankfully, Mamoru had the foresight to bring an umbrella. He shielded both of them from the rain as he held Usagi close. Usagi gazed up at the hazy, red clouds on the horizon, but her mind was focused on other things. Namely, savoring Mamoru's warmth and touch. Her hand clasped over his as they continued their stroll through the park. It wasn't too often that they could just enjoy an evening together like this, what with Mamoru's work and this Amazon Trio popping up more and more often. Every time it looked like the Sailor Senshi stopped some apocalyptic evil from wrecking Tokyo and then the world, someone else would start up an attempt just a few months later.

Sometimes, Usagi would wonder if, one day, there'd be a threat the Sailor Senshi couldn't handle themselves. But Usagi would swiftly banish such pessimism. That sort of thinking just wasn't in her nature. Besides, with a track record like theirs, was there reason to worry? The Dark Kingdom, the Black Moon Clan and the Death Busters, all neutralized for good, and Usagi had faith that whoever the Amazon Trio worked for would soon join that list. Of course, there was a lot of heartache involved. Prince Endymion, Black Lady, Mistress 9… Forced to fight dearest friends, who were brainwashed and out of control. Usagi desperately wished to never go through pain like that again.

But as usual, Usagi didn't allow herself to dwell on such thoughts for long. For the moment, at least, there was something much better to focus her attention on. Squeezing Mamoru's hand a little tighter, she leaned into him as they walked deeper into the park. The rain was falling a little harder now, and Usagi could feel mud giving way underneath her feet. It didn't bother her though, so long as she could have at least one quiet evening with her Mamo-chan.

Apparently, Usagi wasn't the only girl who wanted nothing more from an evening like this. Suddenly, Mamoru stopped, and Usagi would've kept walking ahead had he not been holding her close. She heard Mamoru mutter, "Oh, it's Umino and Naru," as her eyes fluttered back open.

Indeed, her old friends were just a few paces ahead, also walking through the muddying ground. But they lacked an umbrella, so the rain was steadily soaking their clothes. On top of that, Naru hadn't even changed out of her school uniform. As Usagi wondered about all that, she suddenly remembered that _NARU_ was saddled with detention all week. That… was not supposed to happen. Usagi was known all throughout Juban Middle School as the Queen of Detention! No one would ever expect Naru to land herself in detention for a whole week, while Usagi could just skip off. As Usagi racked her brains a little more, it did seem as if Naru was horribly distracted as of late. What could it be, though? She had long gotten over Nephrite's death. Perhaps she was still shaken up by Tigers-Eye's attack, and how that almost drove a wedge between her and Umino. Perhaps it was the attack itself. It was nothing short of an unforgivable violation, someone forcefully peering into your dreams, your very soul.

Whatever the reason, Usagi was now determined to find out. Naru had been looking sullen enough these last couple of weeks since the attack. And now, seeing her getting soaked as the rain picked up, Naru looked absolutely miserable. Gently pushing Mamoru's arm aside, she ran out from under the umbrella and made her way to the other couple.

Umino spotted her right away, looking up as raindrops dribbled down the lenses of his glasses. "Oh, Usagi! You're here too?"

Naru's gaze had been downcast, and she only slowly looked up at the mention of her friend. "Oh, hey Usagi," muttered Naru wanly, her mind clearly somewhere else. Usagi's presence barely seemed to register, and Naru didn't seem to notice the rain at all.

Now Usagi just _KNEW_ something was wrong with Naru, and was even more determined to get to the bottom of it. "Naru, what's bothering you? I mean, you landed in detention instead of me this week. Let that sink in: you in detention and not me. That's got to violate a few laws of probability or something." It was a few seconds before Naru really even made eye contact with her. And when she did, there was a… dullness in her turquoise eyes, a deep sense of defeat. Of hopelessness. And that would not stand while Usagi was around. Not now, not ever. "Please Naru, if there's anything wrong, you can tell me…"

Naru's gaze suddenly grew a little hard as well as defeated. "Maybe I should come by the Hikawa Shrine and blather about it, while all those new friends of yours are there," Naru snapped back. "After all, that seems to be where you spend most of your time these days."

"Naru, come on," Umino pleaded. "There's no need for…"

"You're right, Umino," Naru said quickly as she shut her eyes. Usagi wasn't sure, but tears could be mingling with the raindrops splashing across Naru's face. "Come on, let's just go." With that, Naru grabbed Umino's wrist and dragged him away. Umino looked confused, and was seemingly powerless to resist as Naru dragged him past a confused Mamoru. In fact, he seemed to wince a little when Naru grabbed him.

Usagi could only watch them go, unable to think of a thing to say. After all, Naru had a point. Even since becoming Sailor Moon, she spent more and more time with the other Senshi, and having semi-regular meetings at the Hikawa Shrine to discuss impending threats. Granted, half the time she was at the shrine, Usagi was either reading Rei's manga or daydreaming about Mamoru, but still. At any rate, it wasn't as if Usagi _INTENTIONALLY_ shut Naru out. Things just happened to progress this way, also growing close with the friends she continuously fought alongside. There was a bond with the other Senshi, things she couldn't discuss with just anyone. Of course, one time, it seemed Naru knew _EXACTLY_ who she really was…

Usagi shook her head. None of that was important now. All that mattered at the moment was that something was troubling Naru deeply, and Usagi had to find out what.

She turned to follow them, but was stopped when Mamoru clasped a hand on her shoulder. "Let them go, Usa-ko." Usagi looked up at Mamoru, then watched as Naru led Umino went deeper into the park. "Whatever's troubling your old friend, it's clearly something that she won't be browbeaten into talking about. Just give her time." Usagi could only sigh in defeat. Mamoru did have a point. Still, even as they got on their way, it continued to nag at the back of Usagi's mind. Never before had Naru sounded so openly resentful of how Usagi grew closer with the rest of the Sailor Senshi. It just reinforced how something was very, very wrong. And now, at least for the moment, it looked like Naru wanted nothing further to do with her.

That unnerving revelation still gnawed at Usagi, even as Mamoru held her close again. Usagi desperately wanted to savor what was left of their evening together, but she simply couldn't shake that awful certainty about something terrible troubling Naru.

And when Usagi heard a pair of terrified screams coming from where Naru took off with Umino, it was apparent even more troubles were being dumped on her shoulders. Muttering under her breath, Usagi broke away from Mamoru and took off for the center of the park, having an idea about what she'd soon find.

Usagi panted as she ran and ran, muddy water splashing everywhere. Stealth was never Usagi's strong suit, but at the moment, she couldn't be bothered with subtlety. All she knew right then, all that mattered, was that her old friend was probably caught right in the middle of Sailor Moon's troubles AGAIN.

When she finally found Naru and Umino, Usagi's heart sank when she realized how right she was. But it wasn't precisely Naru being targeted this time. Ducking behind some bushes, Usagi looked on as another one of the Amazon Trio, Fish-Eye, had Umino restrained, his mirror of dreams summoned forth already. Naru, however, was having none of it. Whatever was bothering her, it no doubt fueled her anger and indignation, and she was _NOT_ taking another attack like this lying down. With a howl of fury, she launched herself at Fish-Eye. Usagi had to clasp her hands over her mouth to keep from screaming when Fish-Eye launched a blast of water, which slammed Naru against a tree hard. Usagi wasn't exactly a physicist, but with how forcefully that tree shook… Fish-Eye's attack might have been strong enough to kill.

Usagi's fist clenched as rage welled up with her. Something had already been troubling Naru, and now, her enemies decided to go after her again. Possibly _KILL_ her this time. Without a word, Mamoru knelt beside her behind the bush. Turning to Mamoru, Usagi saw he was holding up his rose. Usagi looked into his eyes and nodded, getting the hint. It was time to get to work.

"MOON CRISIS MAKE-UP!"

And so, the power washed over her, transforming her from the klutzy crybaby schoolgirl everyone thought they knew, and into Sailor Moon. Someone who could make a difference, rush in to help a friend. Or, if necessary, avenge one.

With Naru down, Fish-Eye walked back over to where Umino was restrained. But before he could poke his head into his dreams, a resounding cry interrupted him. "Hold it right there!" With an annoyed grunt, Fish-Eye turned to see Sailor Moon standing a few paces away. "Bad enough your partner tried to break up the blossoming love between these two already! Going for a two-fer is unforgivable!" Sailor Moon brayed, pointing right at Fish-Eye. Tuxedo Kamen was right behind her, judging from the sound of his cape billowing in the breezes from the incoming storm. She also heard Tuxedo Kamen whisper that Naru was somehow still alive. _Good to know. The sooner we drive off Fish-Eye, the sooner we get Naru to a hospital,_ Sailor Moon reasoned.

"Ugh, this again?" spat Fish-Eye dismissively, scowling at them. But then, that scowl twisted into a sinister smile. "But wait, something tells me it won't be the same-old same-old this time."

Sailor Moon blinked in surprise, a little unnerved by the swift shift in Fish-Eye's mood. "Huh? Why'd you say that?" she demanded.

Fish-Eye chuckled eerily. "Isn't it obvious? Aren't we minus one pink-haired munchkin?" Fish-Eye shot back. "And without that little troublemaker, it's impossible to summon Pegasus!"

Sailor Moon gulped, and swore she heard Tuxedo Kamen shift anxiously behind her. Fish-Eye was right about what not having Sailor Chibi-Moon meant. Sailor Moon had been too hasty after seeing Naru struck down, and Fish-Eye had them at a disadvantage.

Even with the overcast, stormy sky, Fish-Eye's shadow was visible. Looking down at it, he commanded, "Come out, my Lemure… Nanomashinko!" Emerging from Fish-Eye's shadow was what at first glance looked like a young girl in a blue, sleeveless qipao. But where there should have been bare skin, there was a green, rough covering with golden lines woven into it. Like a computer board, Sailor Moon soon realized. Even though it was raining in full force and electricity crackled over Nanomashinko's circuit-skin, her power wasn't being shorted out. The Lemure glared at them with solid, red eyes, her navy-blue hair done up in a tight bun. Sailor Moon also noticed the straps across Nanomashinko's chest, as if something was fixed to her backside.

"Hee-hee, shall I show them my synchronized drone act?" jeered the Lemure in a saccharine, high-pitched voice. Spreading her arms out, she began to wave them in circles. Suddenly the pair of golden bangles Nanomashinko was wearing expanded, and as if on their own volition, they floated overhead. Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen eyed the hoops warily as they hovered in a circle overhead, aiming to be ready for anything. Then, Nanomashinko bent over. Sailor Moon saw the bulky knapsack fixed to her back just as half a dozen buzzing somethings shot out, fluttering overhead to where the levitating hoops were.

"They're…really drones?" muttered Tuxedo Kamen as the little machines sporting multiple propellers began a synchronous flying pattern through the two moving hoops. "But, what's the point!?"

"Oh, you like the first act?" asked Nanomashinko giddily, clapping her hands. "Well, here's stage two!" Suddenly, something popped out from the bottom of Nanomashinko's drones. The next moment, what might have easily been machine gun fire rained down from the drones.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Sailor Moon cried as she frantically danced around to avoid having her feet shredded into hamburger. Thankfully, Tuxedo Kamen was on top of things, dashing to the side and unleashing a volley of roses. One managed to clip a drone's propeller, and it spun out of control before smashing into a tree. The rest broke formation and began circling overhead.

That, at least, gave Sailor Moon an opening. As another drone moved in to fire, she had her tiara ready. "Moon Tiara Action!" she bellowed, and the blazing disc shredded the incoming drone. And it looked like Tuxedo Kamen was making short work of the rest. "C'mon, that can't be all you've got!" Sailor Moon spat at the sneering Lemure.

"Uh, forgetting about the hoops, Shinko?" Nanomashinko shot back, pointing behind Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon risked a glance over her shoulder, just in time to see one of those enlarged bangles spinning toward her. With a startled cry, Sailor Moon jumped aside. But as the hoop narrowly missed her, it kept going, catching Tuxedo Kamen unawares as he downed the last drone. The impact slammed him against the tree that Naru was smacked into, and then the hoop somehow fastened itself around the trunk, pinning him against it. With a frantic cry, Sailor Moon ran toward the tree, but suddenly there was a blinding light punctuated by Tuxedo Kamen screaming in agony. Forcing herself to look, tears ran down Sailor Moon's cheeks as she watched electricity arc all over his body, made infinitely worse by the rain. The light faded as suddenly as it came, and then Tuxedo Kamen's head bobbed forward, unconscious or possibly worse.

Full of fury once more, Sailor Moon looked around for Nanomashinko, but the Lemure was nowhere to be seen. Only Fish-Eye was still conscious, still standing near the subdued Umino, grinning triumphantly at her. "Where's your Lemure gotten to?" Sailor Moon demanded.

"Oh, she's still, how shall we say, _TRUCKING_ along…" Fish-Eye said dangerously. Sailor Moon was perplexed for a moment, but then she heard something like a police siren, barreling toward the center of the park.

Looking over her shoulder again, Sailor Moon's face fell dejectedly. "Oh, you've _GOT_ to be kidding me…" Nanomashinko was indeed coming back, standing atop a fire engine, its sirens blazing as it charged full speed at Sailor Moon.

"I don't just have complete control over my drones and bangles, Shinko! I can also mentally control anything else powered by a computer, Shinko!" the Lemure taunted as the fire engine closed in. With a frantic cry, Sailor Moon ducked aside as the truck sped by. Mud splattered everywhere as Sailor Moon's momentum propelled her toward the tree. Tuxedo Kamen was still out cold, from the looks of it, but Sailor Moon swore she saw his chest rise and fall. So he was safe, for now. Just out cold, just like…

"Urgh…" came a barely-audible groan from the base of the tree. Happiness and shock swirled within Sailor Moon as she looked down. There was Naru, soaked to the bone and caked with mud, slowly getting back on her feet. That was a miracle in itself. Fish-Eye's attack hadn't killed her, but Sailor Moon figured some bones must have been broken. Yet Naru was standing again as if it were nothing. Rubbing the mud out of her eyes, Naru looked around until her eyes fell on Sailor Moon. "Sa-Sa-Sailor Moon?" she croaked. "When did y-y-you get here? Where's Umino, and where's…" Naru was cut off as the blaring siren approached again. Turning toward it, Naru froze as the lights washed over them.

"THERE'S Fish-Eye's Lemure, so let's MOVE!" cried Sailor Moon, grabbing Naru by the wrist. Thankfully, that was enough to snap Naru out of it. They took off together, letting out frantic wails as the fire engine chased the two of them all across the park. At least it couldn't reach full speed too easily within the park, thanks to the mud. That was only a small comfort, though. Even over the sirens, Sailor Moon could hear Umino screaming as Fish-Eye forcibly peered into his dreams. Plus, Nanomashinko's jeering laughter was as plangent as the sirens.

"Suddenly I'm not so envious of the 'fun' you Sailor Senshi get to have," Naru cried as they tried to keep ahead of the fire engine. Sailor Moon was about to point out that these battles were hardly her idea of 'fun', but bright light to her left distracted her. Looking toward it, Sailor Moon saw Nanomashinko's second hoop spinning toward them. In a panic, Sailor Moon shoved Naru out of its path and the fire engine's, but she wound up getting slammed by the hoop, hopelessly pinned against another tree.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" Sailor Moon screamed as millions of volts coursed through her. She swore she could smell her own flesh char. There was only so much even a Sailor Senshi could take, but she forced herself to stay awake. Naru, Tuxedo Kamen, Umino… They all still needed her.

Eventually, the surge of electricity abated, but Sailor Moon barely hung on. Forcing herself to look up, she saw Naru running toward the tree, while Nanomashinko jumped off the fire engine as it sped by, unable to stop or change direction quickly. But it did turn around, a good fifty or so meters away. It wheels spun in place, digging into the mud, as if eager for Nanomashinko to give it the mental command to splatter her against the tree.

"And now, for the final act, Sailor Pancakes served firehouse style!" quipped Nanoshinko. The Lemure stood a dozen or so paces from the tree Sailor Moon was pinned against, electricity crackling all around her.

Sailor Moon looked over to the Lemure, and then at the fire engine itching to flatten her. "No no no no no! I don't want to be a pancake!" she wailed, futilely struggling against her bonds.

In the meantime, Naru had reached the tree. Naru looked to the Lemure, oozing anxiety as her power kept arcing all across her circuitous skin. Then she looked to Sailor Moon, then over at the fire engine ready to run them over. Naru turned her gaze to Sailor Moon one last time, sorrowful tears mixing with the mud and rain. "Sailor Moon, you've saved my life and Umino's so many times, I've lost count," she said apologetically. "It's… high time I returned the favor." Gritting her teeth, she glared right at the Lemure, her terror evaporating in an instant. "OK, do your worst!"

For an instant, Nanomashinko looked chastised, even nervously taking a step back. But then, she regained her composure and shrugged her shoulders. "As you wish, Shinko," she said with a smile, looking back to her fire engine.

At once, the fire engine cut loose and barreled forward, but so did Naru. With a furious howl, Naru took off, running right at the incoming truck.

Sailor Moon would've screamed for Naru to just get away, but she was dumbstruck. Who, in their right mind, would run RIGHT AT A FIRE ENGINE!? The fire engine kept accelerating, but Naru never wavered, running right at the oncoming juggernaut. It only took a few seconds for the distance between Naru and the fire engine to be bridged. Long, painful, torturous seconds for Sailor Moon that dragged on for eons, all while she wondered just what possessed her old friend to do something so stupid. Sailor Moon could only look on helplessly as Naru's torso twisted to shoulder-charge it, certain she would be splattered against its grill.

Instead, the fire engine's grill caved inward, as if it just struck a telephone pole. Its back wheels were lifted off the ground as it slammed into Naru with a thunderous crash. The back wheels bounced off the muddy ground as it kept careening forward, but now, it was definitely slowing down. As it crept ever closer, Sailor Moon got a better look. By some miracle, Naru was still alive, though buried halfway into the fire engine's front end. Naru held one hand out against the front, fingers dug into the metal as if it were pizza dough. Her feet dug up mud and grass as she struggled to force it back, screaming the whole time. In stark contrast to Sailor Moon, who was just staring wide-eyed, still dead quiet. This… was not possible. It would take the strength of at least a couple dozen Sailor Jupiters to pull off a stunt like this. And somehow Naru Osaka, who typically was the one she had to rescue, was stopping well over a couple dozen metric tons of incoming metal, water and plastic with _**NOTHING BUT HER BARE HANDS!?**_

But stop it she did. The heel of Naru's foot came to a rest mere centimeters from Sailor Moon's, just as the engine sputtered and died out. Naru pried herself out of the deep indentation she just left, her breathing ragged and labored, drenched in motor oil and radiator fluid along with rainwater and mud. Other than all that, she looked perfectly fine. "Naru…" Sailor Moon finally breathed out. "H-H-H-How did you… did you really…"

Sailor Moon was interrupted by the cackling of the Lemure. "Wow, what a great act! Bravo, truly inspiring!" Nanomashinko shrilled while clapping.

With gritted teeth, not even sparing Sailor Moon a glance, Naru knelt down and grabbed underneath the fire engine's ruined fender. Sailor Moon's eyes widened even more as the fire engine was hoisted up, as if it were one big styrofoam block. Metal groaned in protest, but Naru kept lifting, grunting through gritted teeth. Naru's feet sank deeper into the mud as she lifted it up past her shoulders. And then Naru lifted it even higher, until she was balancing the entire fire engine, now perpendicular to the ground, right over her head.

"Oh oh oh, this act just keeps getting better!" squealed Nanomashinko, still clapping. The Lemure seemed totally unconcerned that Naru had turned around, inching closer while balancing a fire engine over her head. "Oh yes, I must ask Zirconia if we can have your dreams eaten so your act can be part of the circus permanently, and…" Nanomashinko's words drifted off when she finally looked Naru in the eye, seeing a gaze no doubt full of rage. "W-W-W-Wait a second, what do you plan to do with…"

With one last shriek, Naru threw the entire fire engine down on its side onto Nanomashinko, making the entire park quake. After the rumbling faded, Sailor Moon swore she heard Nanomashinko splutter, "S-S-S-Stage Out…"

With Nanomashinko done for, her golden hoop corroded and crumbled away, freeing Sailor Moon. With tepid steps, she drew closer to Naru. Her friend's back was still turned to her, fists clenched as she breathed heavily. "N-N-N-Naru, h-h-h-how did you _DO THAT_!?" So far, she had needed Pegasus's help to polish off those Lemures. Naru offed this one with her bare hands! How!?

Naru didn't answer. Instead, she looked elsewhere. Sailor Moon followed her gaze and saw that Fish-Eye had hung around. But after seeing the collective power he faced, he let out a fearful shriek before backflipping into a hastily-conjured watery portal. The instant he was gone, the board restraining Umino vanished, leaving him to slump unceremoniously to the ground.

Sailor Moon and Naru ran over to Umino to help him up. Thankfully, he came to rather quickly, due to the rain still falling. "N-N-Naru?" he whimpered, taking Naru's hand. Naru squeezed back, and Sailor Moon briefly wondered how she did that without crushing his hand. Those hands… they just stopped a fire engine dead in its tracks! Where did that sort of strength come from!? "Naru, where'd that guy go? W-W-Was that the same one who attacked you? And…why do you smell like motor oil?"

Naru blushed, looking ready to cry. Once Umino could stand on his own, his gaze fell on the fire engine, still on its side. But he could see where the front end had caved in, and where Naru's hand wrenched into the metal. Umino kept looking from the fire engine and Naru. Now Sailor Moon's face colored with unease. Umino was no Ami Mizuno, but he was certain to put the pieces together. "The ground, dug up… The front end… Naru, did you, how did… T-T-T-There's no way someone could do that, not even a Sailor Senshi… Wait, unless… Naru, why didn't you tell me? I-I-I-I mean, are you really…"

The whole time, Naru was ready to burst into tears. Now that it looked like Umino had solved this puzzle, one which still perplexed Sailor Moon, she couldn't contain it a moment longer. She let out a shriek full of heartbreak and sorrow, then bellowed in shame, "Yes, Umino… I'm a _**MUTANT!**_ " She turned and ran, still bawling, desperate to get away.

"Wait, Naru! It's no big deal!" Umino cried, taking off after Naru. "You could've told me! I don't care! I never will! Naru!? _**NARU!**_ "

And then, Sailor Moon was alone, left with her confusion. Mutant. She heard that word before, but wasn't really sure what it meant. Obviously, it was something Naru felt ashamed about. If nothing else, along with explaining Naru's strength, now she knew what was distracting Naru at school. Realizing she was one of these 'mutants'. She would have to ask Ami just what a 'mutant' was…

Especially since, soon enough, Sailor Moon would be hearing that word quite often. As its significance would hit home – hit all of Japan – hard.

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For eons, while situated on Earth's moon, the being known as Uatu, though more commonly known as the Watcher, observed the goings-on of the solar system. Observing the policy set by his people long ago, to ever observe, but never interfere. Not even when the horrors of war came quite close to home, as the Moon Kingdom met its unceremonious end thanks to Queen Beryl and the Shitennou. Uatu finally got to see that conflict resolved once and for all some time ago. A destiny fulfilled by Princess Serenity, after observing how she was reincarnated as Usagi Tsukino many years before that.

But that was not what was on Uatu's mind at the moment, having just seen Usagi's friend Naru Osaka reveal her mutant powers right in front of her. Rather, this incident made Uatu recall a rather significant event from many decades prior. One which also involved two people who, by all accounts, should have gone on to be lifelong friends: Charles Xavier and Eric Magnus Lehnsherr.

Uatu had watched these two men, perhaps the two most powerful mutants ever born, first meet in Israel while doing volunteer work at a hospital. So much alike, who could accomplish so much together. But while one was driven by hope and a sense of justice, the other was plagued by his bitterness and loss. While Professor Charles Xavier went on to start a school for mutants to make his hopeful dreams a reality, Eric Lehnsherr became Magneto, determined to see the ascendancy of mutants by any means necessary. And so, two good friends found themselves in fierce opposition more often than not.

And as Uatu watched Naru run away in fear and shame, leaving a confused Usagi behind, he feared he was seeing the same tragedy play out again. Usagi Tsukino, full of hope and dreams, and Naru Osaka, full of doubt and frustration. Doubt and frustration that could take her down a dangerous path, leaving her old friend no choice but to stand against her.

But Uatu was not exactly a pessimist. That was why he once broke his vow of non-interference to warn the Fantastic Four of Galactus's approach. Here, he saw a chance for such a tragedy to avoid coming about a second time. But if this was to be, it had to be done without his interference. Only Usagi Tsukino herself could find a way to avoid her and Naru going down the same road. Succeed with her friend where Professor X ultimately failed with his. Many would scoff at Uatu's optimism, thinking that someone like Usagi could figure out how to do what eluded one of the most brilliant minds humankind had to offer. But Sailor Moon had her own gifts, which could let her avert such a sad fate. At the very least, in the next few months, Uatu might get an answer to the age-old question…

Is the future truly set?

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Over ten years. That's how long it took me to finally start this one. Over ten years since I first watched _Sailor Moon_ in its entirety after buying the whole series, uncut, on DVD on a whim. It was always there, this idea, nagging at the back of my mind, begging to get written. But come 2014, the double-whammy of the unfettered awesomeness that was _X-Men: Days of Future Past_ , and a reboot coming with _Sailor Moon Crystal_ , finally convinced me to take the plunge. But I was still knee-deep in _Dynamic Equilibrium_ back then, but now the field is clear, and I can finally make this story a reality. Over a decade spent fleshing out this idea. Let's see if it was worth the wait.

A special thanks to Jay Fic-Lover, for helping out with some questions about Japanese society and culture, and coming up with Nanomashinko for the name of Fish-Eye's Lemure!

So long,

Grey-X


	2. Onset of an Eclipse

Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse

A Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 2: Onset of an Eclipse

2-18-2017

By Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon was originally created by Naoko Takeuchi and is the property of Toei Animation. X-Men was originally created by Stan Lee and is the property of Marvel Comics and Disney.

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The sun was beginning its descent behind Tokyo's skyscrapers, but in stark contrast with the onset of dusk, Usagi's mood couldn't be brighter. After all, spring was in the air, and on top of recently stopping the Dead Moon Circus for good, the final round of entrance exams was complete, and Usagi passed! She actually passed! By the skin of her teeth, no doubt, and she was sure to get an earful from Luna, her mother, and just about everyone else when the actual scores arrived in the mail. But for the moment, who cared!? The important thing was that it was on to high school. And with no impending apocalypse to worry about, Usagi could savor the moment, the feeling of triumph.

Along with every delicious bite of the parfait Usagi was currently stuffing her face with, as she walked down a street in the Juban District, heading toward the water. She had Ami and Makoto in tow, the former, of course, having her nose in a book even as they walked. Usagi sighed before taking another bite. Would it kill Ami to relax a little? High school would start soon enough, and she could hit the books then. At least Makoto was taking it easy, staying rather quiet as their trek continued. A bit unlike Luna, who Usagi could hear softly sighing as she stuck close. "Really, Usagi… That's the third parfait you've had this week. Keep this up, and you won't even fit in your new high school uniform!" the talking cat scolded.

Usagi let out a grunt before replying. "Give me a break, Luna. It's frozen yogurt with organically grown fruit. The good stuff," she spat back, punctuating that by sticking her tongue down at the cat. "It's not like I remembered nothing after all that cramming, you know."

"Ugh, let's not dwell on that anymore," grumbled Makoto, holding her head. "It was getting to the point that I looked forward to Death Buster and Dead Moon attacks, just to get blood flowing to the brain again."

"A vote of confidence, THANK YOU," Usagi added quickly over Luna's muttering. But still not a sound out of Ami. Now Usagi was actually a bit curious about what Ami could be so absorbed in. Stealing a quick glance at the spine, Usagi couldn't quite take in the title. It looked to be something about biology or genetics or whatever. That would make sense, given that Ami strived to ultimately follow in her mother's footsteps and become a doctor. But as Usagi thought a bit more about it, she got the feeling there was something she was supposed to remember. Something important.

Looking to Ami's book again between spoonfuls of her parfait, it slowly came back to Usagi. Genetics, evolution… The harrowing, rainy evening that her friend Naru saved the day, revealing what she really was. One of _Homo superior_.

It was funny, really. In the beginning, right after Usagi awakened as Sailor Moon and her popularity spread like wildfire, Naru was one of her biggest fans. It was always awkward to hear Naru gush about Sailor Moon, without being able to tell her the truth. Did superheroes usually have that problem? And oftentimes, Naru would express her desire to actually _BE_ one of the Sailor Senshi, but of course, that wasn't her destiny. But that night, Usagi learned Naru was something else entirely. Perhaps another destiny awaited, but what?

The next day, Ami seemed happy to explain everything she knew about mutants, even if she was taken aback by Usagi's curiosity. According to Ami, it was all part of human evolution. Ami went on for a while about 'epigenetics' or something, stuff that pretty much went over Usagi's head. All Usagi really understood was that people born with this evolutionary boon manifested superhuman abilities during puberty, usually during moments of extreme stress. With how often Naru was targeted by Sailor Moon's enemies, it was a wonder it never happened sooner. What Usagi wouldn't have given to see Zoisite's face if Naru delivered a sucker punch that gave him a one-way ticket to South Korea. But the attack by Tiger's-Eye must have finally trigged Naru's mutant genes. Lucky for Usagi, but it clearly gnawed at Naru's soul. When Usagi asked about that part, Ami didn't seem so certain of her knowledge. Apparently in many countries, especially the United States, mutants were viewed with suspicion and fear. Even being met with hate and violence, though in Japan discrimination against mutants tended to be more subtle. Thus, many mutants tried to keep their powers a secret, out of fear of being ostracized, and dreaded exposure.

Usagi could kind of relate to that, needing to keep her identity as Sailor Moon a secret. But that was mostly to keep monsters from showing up on her doorstep. This whole business of heaping hate on those born different… It sickened Usagi to no end to think about it. And knowing Naru was suffering in silence made it worse. No, not entirely. In the months since, Umino was still at her side, true to his word. That was a relief. There was at least one person in her life who didn't care what Naru was. But did her own mother even know? How badly did it still weigh on Naru?

Usagi still desperately wanted to help, but how? Sailor Moon knew the truth, but Usagi Tsukino wasn't supposed to. And the way Naru seemed to piece together the truth about Sailor Moon long ago somehow made it worse. The two of them knew the other kept a big secret, but couldn't really admit it. And with continuous attacks from the Dead Moon Circus, Usagi couldn't really give the dilemma the attention it deserved, compounded by how she felt compelled to keep Naru's secret, and thus couldn't ask her friends for advice. Mutants had good reason to want their powers hidden, that much was clear. But now, with the Dead Moon Circus gone and the last round of entrance exams finished, perhaps Usagi could…

Usagi's thoughts were interrupted by a rough-sounding voice. Turning to her right, Usagi saw it was coming from some televisions in a store window. Usagi was about to tune it out and keep walking with her friends, but then she caught the word 'mutant'.

Stopping dead in her tracks, Usagi turned back to the store window and kept listening in. Some middle-aged guy who looked to be a total hardcase, ranting and raving against mutants. Suddenly, Usagi lost her appetite, looking down at what remained of her fruit parfait. Parfaits… Nephrite had mentioned something about parfaits to Naru, right before he died in her arms. It was painful enough, seeing her go through that. Now people here in Japan were raising a stink about mutants, guaranteeing Naru even more pain!?

"Usagi, I had no idea you were keeping up with politics," came Ami's voice suddenly. Usagi looked over her shoulder to see Ami had walked back over upon noticing she had stopped.

"And I'm wishing I wasn't. These parfaits taste better going down than coming up," said Usagi, an acid bite to her voice.

Ami looked to the man ranting on television, a slight scowl taking shape on her face. "I agree. And to think Seto Kizachi is a leading member in the House of Councilors, and that I had so much respect for the Kizachi name."

"You actually like this windbag!?" Usagi demanded.

"Not him. His wife," said Ami. "Erina Kizachi, one of Japan's leading engineers and roboticists. I made a point of reading all her published papers. I mean, who didn't? For a time, she was even being touted as Japan's very own budding Tony Stark."

"Tony Stark?" Usagi repeated. A name she was clearly supposed to know, judging by the tone of Ami's voice, but Usagi was drawing a blank.

Ami let out a soft sigh. "The CEO of Stark Enterprises over in America, one of the most brilliant weapon designers on the planet and who practically bankrolls the Avengers by himself," she calmly explained. Usagi could still only blink in confusion. After sighing again, Ami said, "Forget it, it's not important. Right now, I'd be more interested to learn why you've been so interested in mutants as of late."

Usagi had to fight the urge to recoil in shock. It shouldn't have come as a surprise, though. It wouldn't take a genius like Ami to figure something like this out. If only she could be as quick in coming up with cover. So Usagi just spluttered the first thing that came to mind. "W-W-W-What, you think maybe I'm a mutant too? On top of being a Sailor Senshi? That'd be a bit much, don't you think?" Usagi let out some nervous laughter, but the look on Ami's face told Usagi that her friend wasn't quite sold. Best to keep talking, hoping she'd drop it. "Come on, let's catch up with Makoto and Luna," she added, grabbing Ami's wrist with her free hand and dragging her along.

They caught up with the others in short order, and soon after that, they could see light from the rising moon sparkling along the river. "Hmmm, it's getting late," said Makoto, looking out the calm waters of the river. "Maybe we should call it a day, and…"

"I don't think so, girls," said Luna suddenly. The three of them looked down to Luna, but she was staring over at what looked like some sort of combination of an office building and a warehouse along the edge of the river. "I'm sensing something from that place. Some sort of… dark energy."

Makoto could only facepalm at first. "It's barely been over a week since we obliterated the Dead Moon Circus. I thought we Sailor Senshi got at least a two month grace period before the next enemy shows up to make our lives hell."

Usagi could only sigh in agreement, tossing what was left of her parfait in a nearby trash can. "OK, Luna. Let's go get this over with," she drawled.

The four of them made their way over, though Usagi was in no particular hurry. By the time they reached it, dusk had completely fallen, making the lonely building alongside the river look even more creepy. But it was what Usagi was hearing as they got close, rather than the look of the place, that truly unnerved her. Gunshots from within, punctuated by terrified screams. Makoto, however, was undaunted, and was charged past the vacant security checkpoint.

"Well, good thing whoever's attacking destroyed the security cameras for us," said Ami, pointing at the smoking, melted slag along the fence where a camera would normally be. Usagi followed Ami, desperately wishing to be anywhere but this creepy warehouse, already getting more bad vibes.

But Luna was getting more. "That's definitely dark energy I'm sensing being thrown around in there! We'd better hurry!"

Makoto was still farther ahead, ready to charge through the front entrance. But before she could, a few men stumbled out, crying in fear. Once Usagi closed the distance, she could get an inkling as to why. Their faces and clothes were bloodied, and one of them held his arm, and… It looked like it was broken, judging by how he cradled it. Who just put them through the wringer like this?

Makoto grabbed one of them by the collar, asking that same question. "What's going on in there!? Who did this to you!?"

For a moment, the man could only stare back in dumb shock, too terrified of whatever it was to utter a thing. But finally, he spluttered something out. "S-S-S-She's here, found us… Just like they all said… D-D-D-Darkness falling, just like an… Eclipse." And then he fainted while in Makoto's grasp.

Usagi just stared as Makoto let him crumple to the ground, completely nonplussed. "W-W-W-What'd he mean about how this Eclipse 'found' them?" she wondered. "What's going on?"

"Impossible to say, yet," said Ami. "I guess we'll have to go in to get some answers."

"I was afraid you'd say that," said Usagi dejectedly.

"We aren't getting any answers from this lot, that's for sure," Makoto added, gesturing toward the others who had stumbled out the front. The one cradling a broken arm was limping away, while most of the others had fainted as well. Usagi's gaze swept over all of them and made her shudder, then she looked into the warehouse's open doorway. The lighting in the front of the building looked pretty much shot, and only faint flickers of light issued forth from rooms farther back. That guy's talk about a sudden 'eclipse' seemed all too prescient.

Meanwhile, Ami had her supercomputer out and was typing away furiously. "I'm routing an automated call for an ambulance through my computer," she said, making Usagi turn away from the front door. "I'm guessing we have a good ten minutes or so to investigate before paramedics arrive. Let's make the most of them."

Usagi could only sigh in disbelief at how the rest of her evening was slipping out of her control. Distracted as she was, she didn't notice someone else hastily exiting the warehouse until he collided with her backside, nearly making her face hit the pavement. As Usagi struggled to regain her balance, she only got a glimpse of him as he ran. Unlike the others, he seemed in good shape, no limp and hardly any blood splattered on his outfit, which was a simple long-sleeved shirt and khakis. His jet-black hair wasn't disheveled at all, slicked back neatly. But as he dashed out into the night, Usagi noticed something odd. Part of one of his fingers was missing, as if chopped off, and the absence of gushing blood told Usagi it wasn't something that just happened because of this 'Eclipse'.

"That guy's sure in a hurry, and sure didn't seem surprised to see three schoolgirls hanging around here," said Makoto. "Think he's got something to do with this?"

"Doubtful, I sensed no dark power from him," said Luna. "In any case, Ami's right. We haven't a second to spare."

Knowing it was useless to protest, Usagi fell in line and followed the rest into that dark, creepy building. Usagi could hear Ami still typing away on her computer. Hopefully that would mean they could home in on whatever was giving off the dark energy Luna sensed, or at least give them advance warning. Broken glass crunched underneath their feet as they made their way further in. They peeked into one of the rooms, finding another man bloodied up and beaten within an inch of his life, then shoved unceremoniously into an office chair. Ami shoved her computer into Makoto's hand and rushed to check his pulse. "Alive, but his pulse is weak and erratic. Those paramedics can't come soon enough." As Ami kept looking him over, Usagi glanced around the office. Computer smashed, a file cabinet blown apart with its contents on fire, the desk blasted to pieces, and just about everything that wasn't nailed down thrown around and destroyed. It looked to Usagi like someone just wanted to bust the place up for the sake of busting the place up.

"Wow, someone went out of his way to smash up everything in sight. Someone who's got way worse anger management problems than me," said Makoto, echoing Usagi's thoughts. "And…Ami, I'm not sure if I'm reading this thing right, but… I think it's saying this guy's burns were caused by a dark energy attack."

Ami ran back over and glanced at her computer screen. "Well, you're not wrong. That's what the preliminary analysis is saying, but I have a hunch there's more to it. If I can just run some deeper scans, get more data…" While the plangent sound of Ami's furious typing filled the office, Usagi's ears were still able to pick up a bumping noise in a room not too far away, making her tense up.

"I heard it too, Usagi," said Luna, dashing Usagi's hopes that they wouldn't have to investigate that creepy noise. Worse, Ami was obviously done with her scans, for she shut her computer and followed Makoto out. Sighing yet again, Usagi let herself be dragged along with them. So it was back out into that hallway with barely any light, and Luna's ears pricked up when they came to an open doorway to a room that was pitch-black inside. "No doubt about it, there's someone in there. The smell's…familiar, though."

"Well, whoever it is, I want first crack at 'im," said Makoto. Luna was about to spout out a warning, but Makoto charged into the darkened room with a howl. This was swiftly followed by a yelp of surprise, and then whoever it was grappled to the ground. It must've been someone tough, for it sounded like he or she was putting up a good struggle. But after hearing some garbled threats from whoever Makoto was grappling, Usagi understood why.

"Not good not good not good," muttered Usagi as she cautiously stepped inside, feeling for a light switch. Thankfully, she soon found one and flipped it on. There on the floor, just as expected, was someone in a red and white cyclist's jumpsuit being wrestled to the ground by Makoto. Someone who was clearly a woman, but had mannishly short, blond hair…

"What in the… HARUKA!?" Makoto demanded, once she got a good look at who she was grappling.

"Wonderful, Haruka. Less than an hour back in the Juban District, and we're already at the Inner Senshi's throats. Weren't we supposed to avoid this?" muttered someone at the opposite end of the room. Everyone turned to see Michiru, her face buried in one of her hands. In contrast to her tomboyish partner, she sported an elegant blue dress, looking quite out of place at a grisly crime scene.

"HEY! Makoto launched herself at ME!" Haruka protested, taking the opportunity to shove Makoto off .

"Oh, you wish," Makoto shot back as they both stood up and dusted themselves off. Usagi heard Michiru give off an amused snort.

"What are you two doing back, anyway?" asked Ami.

"We bought a house in the suburbs a short time ago," said Haruka quickly. "Just can't stay away from this place, you know."

"No, Haruka. She meant what are you doing HERE?" snapped Makoto.

"The same as all of you, I'll wager," said Michiru. "Investigating an incident involving a tangible, dark presence." With a glance down into her Deep Aqua Mirror, she added, "One that's still here on the premises, for the time being, though I can't pinpoint the exact location."

"Well, then it's fortunate that all of us are here," Luna cut in. "We can cover more ground that way."

"Just try not to kill whoever's giving off all this dark energy until we can get some answers, OK?" Makoto added testily.

"UNFAIR!" Haruka roared back, pointing at Makoto angrily.

Usagi quickly ran in between the two of them. "Come on, you two! Michiru's right… It's stupid to start fighting again right away! Don't we have a job to do!? I mean, the paramedics Ami called will be here soon, so we don't have much time!" Looking quite chastised for once, Haruka looked away, folding her arms. "So please, Haruka… Why don't you and Michiru go check out the second floor, while we keep poking around down here looking for this 'Eclipse'?"

Unlike Haruka, Michiru still gave off a slightly cheerful, though teasing, air. "Well now, is that an order from our Princess?" she asked coyly.

Luna was not amused. "Does it have to be?"

Haruka just grunted in acknowledgment, but at least she was smiling again. "We really do need to stop meeting like this so often, Odango," she said flirtatiously as she turned to leave with Michiru.

After Usagi and the others watched them go, Ami suddenly said, "Well, all things considered, in the long run I think it will be advantageous having the Outer Senshi back…"

"Maybe," Makoto admitted reluctantly. "Too bad they couldn't come back in town sooner for that whole Dead Moon Circus debacle."

"I heard that!" Haruka called back. Usagi's face colored in frustration. Dragged into hunting down yet another new enemy, and tensions with the Outer Senshi flaring up all over again. Indeed, what looked to be an enjoyable evening had long since spiraled out of control.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Haruka kept muttering to herself as she and Michiru navigated the trashed, darkened remains of the warehouse, looking for the stairs. Not that she minded getting ordered about by Usagi. Despite how it was obvious she just wanted to break up any fighting, Usagi's idea was a good one. They had to cover as much ground as possible before this - was it 'Eclipse' that Usagi called it? – could slip away. No, getting blindsided by Makoto was rather humiliating. She was supposed to always be on her guard, yet Makoto caught her with her pants down. Figuratively and not literally, of course. In any case, it only exacerbated the frustration she and Michiru were already feeling.

Though Haruka wouldn't admit it to the Inner Senshi yet, it wasn't just coincidence they had bought a home so close by. It was true that they had stayed out of Tokyo during the time this Dead Moon Circus was operating. By the time they realized the Inner Senshi were in another conflict, partly thanks to that insipid puppet, it was more or less too late to rush back to Tokyo and lend a hand. That was galling, too. Not recognizing a new threat in time, just because it didn't originate from outside the solar system.

They weren't going to make the same mistake again. They both felt it. Stromy winds and waters, about to roll in. Not just over Tokyo, but all of Japan. Nothing connected to a menace from beyond their system, that was certain at least. Unfortunately, that was all they were certain of for the moment. So when Haruka was riding on her dirtbike as evening approached, with Michiru hitching a ride… Once they both sensed a dark presence and Michiru's talisman narrowed the location down to this place along the river, they both jumped at the opportunity to get answers. Whatever was going on, whoever was ultimately behind it, was proving infuriatingly elusive.

So they couldn't afford to let whoever or whatever was practicing scorched earth tactics, for whatever reason, slip away. Which was why Haruka was perfectly willing to defer to Usagi. Once this 'Eclipse' was under wraps, then they could patch things up with the Inner Senshi.

Finally, they found the door leading to the stairwell. Haruka opened it, and Michiru took point, sparing a few glances down at her mirror. That was also frustrating. The Deep Aqua Mirror was supposed to help pinpoint their enemy's exact location, but something about this Eclipse was throwing it off.

Haruka followed Michiru in silence, focusing intently as they ascended the stairwell, not letting herself be distracted by the lights flickering on and off. But soon her partner spoke up. "Actually, Haruka, our little reunion went better than I hoped."

That took Haruka by surprise. "Is that so?"

Haruka saw Michiru nod right before the lights dimmed again. "I suppose we should consider ourselves fortunate that a brief wrestling match was all we got as a 'Welcome Back' present. If they truly harbored any lasting resentment, the subsequent firefight would've finished our enemy's work," Michiru said wryly. "On top of that, I don't think there'll be any tense conflicts with the Inner Senshi this time. They arrived mere minutes after we did, and seem just as intent on tracking down this Eclipse."

"They've grown some since we last met, I'll give them that," said Haruka. "Especially Usagi, I can sense it. Though it looked like she was burdened by something that has nothing to do with finding this Eclipse."

Michiru had just reached the door to the top floor, but she glanced over her shoulder, the flickering light revealing the teasing look in her eyes. "Well, if something is troubling our princess, no doubt you'll want to be there for her," she said coyly.

Despite herself, Haruka colored a little as Michiru turned back to open the door. As they stepped out, what greeted them was little different from what they found on the ground floor. The walls charred and blasted through, no doubt courtesy of this Eclipse's dark energy. Shattered glass and papers strewn everywhere, the lights flickering here too. As they walked down the hallway, brief glimpses into open office spaces revealed similar carnage. Smashed-up furnishings, wrecked computers and filing cabinets. Whoever was attacking this place clearly wanted to make sure it could never be used again, along with getting rid of vital information and equipment. But the savagery involved suggested a hateful passion, not exactly efficient calculation. It made Haruka just that more determined to make sure she didn't let her guard down again.

That focus, that sharpening of her senses, paid off. It was from the other side of the building, but Haruka heard a muffled howl, along with a rather odd noise. A sort of…oily, slurping sound. Whatever it was, Haruka just knew it was connected to this elusive Eclipse. Michiru obviously heard it too, and thought the same thing. With one last glance down into her mirror, she turned to Haruka and nodded. "Think we should go alert the Inner Senshi?"

"Well, Makoto seemed miffed that we weren't here for the Dead Moon Circus. Maybe we should corral Eclipse for them to make up for it?" Haruka suggested with a smile, holding up her transformation stick. Likewise, Michiru pulled out her own.

"Neptune Planet Power, Make-Up!"

"Uranus Planet Power, Make-Up!"

Now ready for battle, the two Sailor Senshi dashed through the halls, toward that unusual noise. Soon, they came across what appeared to be a large break room; the lights were out, and that noxious slurping noise could be heard within. Uranus poked her head inside, her eyes falling on the unconscious body of another poor soul who apparently worked here. His shirt was bloodied, and seemed to be sporting burns from dark energy exposure like the rest, but at least Uranus could see the telltale rising and falling of his chest.

But there was no telling if the next victim would be as lucky. Thanks to his white shirt, Uranus could see him crawling backwards until he brushed up against the wall. Uranus could practically sense his heart-stopping terror. What he was frantically backing away from, though, Uranus couldn't immediately make out, even though he or she was closer. She had to squint to spot another figure in the darkness. Long, black hair seemed to glisten in what light there was, practically pouring out from what looked like a tannish-grey hard hat. Whoever it was didn't look particularly tall, making Uranus briefly wonder why this guy was so afraid.

Uranus soon learned why. His assailant casually raised a hand, and Uranus felt more than saw a blast of dark power lash out. Not directly at him, but rather at the window right next to him. The blast took out the entire window and some of the wall, letting some light from the full moon pour in. As the poor soul screamed in horror, drowning out the sound of masonry and broken glass hitting the ground outside, Uranus could get a better look at who was after him.

This 'Eclipse' was indeed rather short. Most of the Inner Senshi would dwarf her, and Uranus decided it had to be a 'her' judging from her frame. Eclipse put her arm down as she casually strolled over to her quarry. Turns out she didn't need to lay her hands on him, having a better way to shake him down. Uranus's eyes widened as what could only be described as an inky-black, thick, oily substance issued forth from Eclipse's body. It glistened in the moonlight as it took the form of spindly tendrils, which shot out and ensnared her victim. He would have screamed again, but one tendril gagged him, apparently being willed to become solid enough for that task. Another wrapped around his neck, and still more snared his arms and legs. Uranus couldn't help but shudder, remembering how Mistress 9 once held both she and Neptune captive in much the same way with her hair.

This personal oil slick of Eclipse's… The tensile strength, the _OVERALL_ strength… It was great enough to bodily lift the poor man off the floor, and then dangle him just beyond the gaping hole in the wall. Uranus's heart skipped a beat when Eclipse let him drop, but then she heard him smack against the outside wall. Eclipse strode more purposefully to the hole, then peered over the edge. She was whispering something, perhaps interrogating her quarry. No need to yell and sound threatening, not when that guy must've been out of his mind with fear.

Uranus had seen enough, and knew Neptune felt the same way. Charging into the break room, Uranus bellowed, "That's enough!" Eclipse slowly turned around, letting them get a better look at her. She was clad in some sort of beige jumpsuit that covered her from the neck down, but it looked about a size too big for her, judging by how much looked stuffed into those lace-up work boots. There were slits in her jumpsuit to allow that noxious ooze to seep out. Unfortunately, there was no hope of identifying her by her face. Eclipse wore what looked like welding goggles, and the lower half of her face had that oily glop covering most of it, as if it fountained up from her neck. "Answering the call from a new era… Sailor Uranus! Here to fight with brilliance!" Uranus went on.

"Likewise… Sailor Neptune, here to fight with elegance!" Neptune chimed in.

"Now, let that man go!" Uranus demanded, pointing at Eclipse.

Uranus realized too late she should have worded that more carefully. Eclipse shrugged her shoulders and simply retracted those oily tendrils, somehow sucking them all up back into her body with a nauseating slurp. Her quarry screamed as he fell and hit the ground hard, but judging by how long it took Eclipse to suck in her ooze, the height wasn't nearly enough to kill him.

"So, you must be Eclipse," Neptune spat. "What is it you want? Why did you ransack this warehouse? Looking for pure hearts, for beautiful dreams? You'll find little in this part of town." The woman said nothing, and those goggles made it nearly impossible to gauge her mood. They could only really make out her mouth, and all they saw was that her lips were pressed together. Not much to go on, certainly no way to tell if Eclipse was scared, annoyed, angry or whatever. All she did was casually stroll to her right, steadily retreating away from the moonlight. Uranus and Neptune cautiously made their way into the break room, edging toward its right side. All of them, like predators circling before ripping each other to shreds. "Hmmm, this is unusual," Neptune added with a coy smile. "Typically, when we face a new enemy, they're all too happy to gloat about their evil plans."

"Answer us!" roared Uranus as Eclipse just kept strolling, slinking further into the shadows. "You clearly wanted to put this warehouse out of commission, but must be after information, too! What's…"

Uranus stopped when the faint sound of that slurping reached her ears. Her eyes widened upon realizing Eclipse suckered them. By walking over to where it was darker, Eclipse had cover to use those slimy tendrils again. Her stance widened as she clenched her fists, and then a whole table was flung at them. Followed by a microwave, and then a potted plant, and anything else that wasn't nailed down.

Uranus ducked aside just in time to avoid the heavy oak table. Producing her Space Sword, she swatted away the microwave. None of the junk was hitting Neptune either, being more than agile enough to dodge the barrage. But while they were busy avoiding all the junk Eclipse was flinging, she nevertheless had an opening. With an outstretched, gloved hand, Eclipse fired off what could only be described as a bolt of black lightning, which seemed to suck up what little illumination the moon provided. She scored a direct hit on Neptune. Neptune screamed as the impact sent her flying into the wall, that black electricity crackling eerily around her body.

"Neptune!" Uranus cried out in fury, sparing only a moment to glance over her shoulder. Neptune was already getting back up, though the attack left her shaken. Still, this Eclipse was more powerful than they first figured, easily a match for any Sailor Senshi. That outfit which looked thrown together fooled them at first. Not again. Turning back to Eclipse, Uranus reared her arm back, and then… "Space Sword Blaster!"

The glowing blast of concentrated wind energy was flung across the room, striking Eclipse full in the face. All it did, though, was make Eclipse grunt a little and stagger back. But that gave Neptune, already back on her feet, the opening she needed. "Deep Submerge!" she roared, and the concentrated ball of energized seawater shot forth. Another direct hit, and this time Eclipse was blasted off her feet and smashed through the adjacent wall.

"That had to take something out of her!" Uranus cried hopefully as she and Neptune ran through the gaping hole. But upon stepping into the next room, there was no sign of Eclipse. "What in… Neptune, where'd that walking oil spill go!?"

"I'm not sure! This creature is still throwing off my mirror!" Neptune shot back, gazing down into her talisman. Her face screwed up in concentration as she squinted, but then her eyes widened all of a sudden. "Uh oh, I think she's on the floor below! _DIRECTLY_ below us!"

"How'd she do that?" demanded Uranus. "And why? Is she trying to get away? Or…"

Uranus got her answer when a blast of dark energy erupted from the floor, only a few paces away from where they stood. More and more blasts shot straight up from the floor, and on top of that, globs of Eclipse's weird black ooze punched through like battering rams. Soon, there were enough holes to let Eclipse lasso the spaces between them and pull down. Hard. Uranus and Neptune tried to leap away, but it was too late. The entire floor beneath them crumbled away, and they fell back down to the first floor. Uranus hit solid concrete hard, with Neptune landing on top of her soon afterward. Debris from the floor followed, effectively pinning them down.

As the cloud of dust and debris started to clear, Uranus saw they had landed in the warehouse's loading area. Her Space Sword lay a few meters away, so even though her right arm was free, there was no way to reach it. Worse, Uranus could make out a silhouette slowly advancing on them through the kicked-up dust, long hair fluttering and oozing tendrils still out. There was only one hope. Ignoring the crushing pain from all the debris, she raised her right arm as high as she could. It wobbled from the effort she had to put into it. "W-W-World… Shak…"

A huge glob of Eclipse's ooze shot right at her, pinning her right arm to the loading bay floor. Uranus pulled against it with all her might, but even her strength couldn't get it to budge. She stared at her useless arm in frustration. Whoever this Eclipse was, she had studied up on the Sailor Senshi. Knowing exactly what she was about to do, and took the appropriate countermeasures.

Uranus forced herself to look up at their attacker. The dust had faded, and Eclipse stood over them, only a few paces away. She looked as fresh as when this all began, unfazed by either or their attacks. The only indication they had landed any hits was that the lens over Eclipse's left eye was shattered, half of it broken away. Even though Uranus could see a bit of her eye, there was still no hope of reading her gaze. Her mouth, though… Her lips were parted slightly, as if carefully considering what to do next. She obviously knew all about the Sailor Senshi, but it was as if she didn't know what to do with them, now that two were at her mercy. Uranus just stared back at her coldly, refusing to let fear show. After everything she and Neptune went through to thwart Pharaoh 90, they might be offed by this walking ecological disaster?

Fortunately, it looked like Eclipse wouldn't get the chance to succeed where the Death Busters failed so miserably. All of a sudden, the entire loading bay was obscured again, this time by an explosion of icy fog.

Uranus knew full well what this was, and who caused it. But what interested her more was how Eclipse reacted to Sailor Mercury's attack. Eclipse reeled back as if in pain, grunting, whirling her tendrils to dispel the fog faster. But the tendrils…they didn't flow as fluidly as before. _It's not just the surprise from Mercury using Shabon Spray… This thing is hurt by the cold!_ Uranus reasoned.

The mist, though, was indeed dissipating. But before Eclipse could finish speeding that along, there was an echoing cry from Sailor Jupiter. "Jupiter Oak Evolution!" What could only be described as electrified leaves shot across the loading bay. Many struck Eclipse's tendrils, and she grunted again, forced to retract them completely.

"That's new," muttered Neptune, just as Jupiter charged right at Eclipse during the last few moments the fog remained. Eclipse was scooped up and flung over Jupiter's shoulder as she grappled her while running, not losing any momentum. As she carried her across the loading bay, Jupiter swung around and hurled Eclipse over at a stack of wooden pallets, knocking them over and sending Eclipse toppling to the ground.

"Now's not the time to be impressed!" Uranus spat, still struggling against Eclipse's glop, but it was like the stickiest paste imaginable. Mercury's icy mist hadn't lingered long enough to let her break free of it. "My arm's hopelessly stuck. Neptune, can you still reach your Deep Aqua Mirror!?" Hopefully, she could lend Jupiter a hand, because Eclipse was getting right back up, stepping over the toppled pallets.

"Sorry Uranus, but both my arms are pinned, and I lost my grip on the mirror altogether," said Neptune. "It's all up to them, now."

That realization made Uranus's heart sink. Eclipse still didn't even look winded. Jupiter rushed in, throwing a punch, but Eclipse ducked her head just in time. Jupiter kept up the pressure, but Eclipse managed to evade her strikes. Gritting her teeth, Jupiter reared back and tried a spinning jump kick to her face, but one of Eclipse's oily tendrils shot out and ensnared her ankle. Eclipse let Jupiter dangle helplessly over the floor, a safe distance away from her.

"Don't waste your time trying to overpower this thing up close and personal!" Uranus shouted.

"Uranus is right! This creature's oil slick seems vulnerable to electric discharges and intense cold! Let her have it!" Neptune added.

Jupiter got the hint, for the antenna on her tiara came out. Uranus could already smell ozone, and she glanced over to Mercury; some sort of watery harp was forming in her hands. But before either could strike, Eclipse flung Jupiter over at Mercury. The two of them collided, and were slammed into one of the metal bay doors, hard enough to leave an indentation.

"So much for a timely rescue," Neptune muttered dejectedly as they heard Eclipse advance on them again. Uranus looked over to the two fallen Senshi before forcing herself to tear her gaze away. Eclipse had just stopped inching closer, looking from one group of downed Senshi to the other and back. It was still as if she didn't really know what to do next, now that they were all practically at her mercy. Why? Eclipse obviously knew all about them and what they could do. Was she just surprised to run into the Sailor Senshi so soon? Or would killing them simply serve no purpose from her perspective? As Uranus looked up at Eclipse, what could be seen of her face still gave no answers. There was a saddening hardness in how her jaw was set, the dull glint in her exposed eye. Yet at the same time, as Uranus looked Eclipse over again, she realized there was something familiar about her, something she felt she was supposed to remember…

Eclipse's indecision apparently came to an end, and she took another step toward them, a cruel hardness in that exposed eye now. But before Eclipse got much closer, a resounding cry made her turn around, which made Eclipse's exposed eye widen. "Hold it right there!"

Uranus sighed in relief as she looked past Eclipse. Mercury and Jupiter must have been searching this far end by themselves, and at last, Sailor Moon was drawn here by the commotion. Their princess stood at the far end of the loading bay with Luna by her feet, pointing at Eclipse. "First you ruin a perfectly peaceful evening by dragging us into this warehouse, and now you _LITERALLY_ bring the house down on top of my friends!?" she snarled. "It's one insult after another. In the name of…" Then it was as if a dam burst, and Sailor Moon couldn't keep a lid on her disgust anymore. "Ohhhh, ACK, that thing is nauseating to look at!"

"Sailor Moon, will you focus!?" chided Luna.

"C'mon Luna, _LOOK_ at that thing! This has got to be the grossest monster we've run into!" Sailor Moon protested. "It's like an offshore drill platform got busted and it's spraying down from the inside of that helmet! Seriously, where does her hair end and the oil begin? I mean, the Daimons and Lemures were pretty out there, but at least they never made you think of thousands of dead fish and seagulls, and…"

As Sailor Moon rambled on, Uranus picked up on a change in Eclipse's body language. It was subtle at first, with Eclipse's fists clenching tightly. And then her fists shook uncontrollably. Soon after that, Uranus could sense the rage and frustration radiating off of the putrid being. Eclipse simply had foreknowledge of the other Sailor Senshi and countered them accordingly, but it was clearly nothing personal. It was a different story with Sailor Moon. For whatever reason, the mere sight of Sailor Moon filled this creature with uncontrollable fury, fury she was set to act upon.

"Sailor Moon, look out! Eclipse has it in for you!" Uranus cried. The warning came just in time. More of Eclipse's tendrils shot out, grabbing hold of pallets from another nearby stack. Sailor Moon shrieked in horror as Eclipse started chucking them across the loading bay at her, one right after another. They came at her with deadly speed, spinning like giant shuriken, forcing a frantic Sailor Moon to duck and weave around the onslaught, wailing the whole time. Some shattered against the wall behind her, others became embedded into it. Frustrated with how Sailor Moon managed to stay one step ahead, Eclipse started lashing out with that dark energy as well. Sailor Moon had to skid to a halt with a terrified wail, hunched over as a blast of black lightning shot dangerously close to her belly. Then she had to leap up, letting another pallet sail underneath her.

Uranus cursed how useless she was as Eclipse kept up her barrage. The creature's back was turned to them, forgetting them completely now that her ire was focused solely on Sailor Moon, yet they were unable to strike. And it was doubtful Sailor Moon could keep ducking that barrage much longer.

Or at least, that was what Uranus feared, but it turned out she was righter than she knew about Sailor Moon now being more with it. As she jumped over another tossed pallet and blast of dark power, Sailor Moon's hand went to her tiara, and when she landed again…

"Moon Tiara Action!"

The blazing disk tore through another pallet Eclipse had lobbed, heading straight for her. Uranus expected Eclipse to dodge, but then she sensed a brief moment of panic from her. The tiara found its target, and Uranus winced a little as she heard it burning and tearing through the flesh of Eclipse's belly. But soon that was drowned out by the sound of Eclipse screaming.

Sailor Moon's attack couldn't cleave Eclipse in half; the tiara soon de-energized and boomeranged back to her. Still, it had done a number on the creature. Eclipse fell to her knees, those slimy tendrils splattering uselessly to the floor as she clutched her midsection. For someone that had been so fearsome and silent just moments before, Eclipse looked quite pathetic now, and Uranus swore she even heard her sobbing. Eclipse tore one trembling hand away from her belly to gaze at it. Uranus was certain she saw the crimson shade of blood mixed in with that inky-black ooze. Meanwhile, Sailor Moon looked as indecisive as Eclipse had been moments before. She had her enemy on the ropes, so to speak, but wasn't certain about what to do next. Get some answers out of Eclipse, or finish her off?

"Well, that was easy," came Jupiter's voice all of a sudden. Both Uranus and Eclipse looked back to the loading bay doors. Mercury and Jupiter were back on their feet. Eclipse now trembled all over with terror. All three could hurt her, with Sailor Moon able to do so fatally.

Eclipse suddenly regained her composure and lashed out again, but not at any of the Senshi. The tendrils regained their viscosity and whipped about, smashing apart the walls, while others formed more battering rams to punch through the roof. On top of that, she unleashed blasts of dark power up through the roof again.

"Why's she…" Neptune began, but then they all heard the walls groan in protest. "Oh great, she aims to bring the rest on top of us!"

With one last blast of dark power, Eclipse took out part another chunk of a wall, and ran back into the building. "Lovely, she's getting away," spat Uranus.

"In case you haven't noticed, the two of you have more pressing concerns!" Jupiter snarled as she ran toward the debris still pinning them down.

Mercury, meanwhile, reformed that watery harp. "Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" Tendrils of icy water shot at them, blasting away a good deal of the debris. One even struck the oily gunk gluing Uranus's arm to the floor. Her arm felt numb with cold, but she forced herself to flex her arm, and the frozen glop shattered. Jupiter got to work removing the rest of the wood and bricks pinning them down. Once enough was removed, Jupiter scooped up Neptune in her arms, then shoved the Deep Aqua Mirror into her teeth.

Uranus scowled as she watched Jupiter run with Neptune toward an open bay door, which Sailor Moon must have noticed. "Come on, Uranus, now's not the time to get jealous! We've got to MOVE!" As if to punctuate that, the entire wing of the warehouse trembled more vehemently than ever. Dirt rained down all over them as the trembling went on. Sailor Moon reached down to snatch up the Space Sword as she ran. Once she reached Uranus, Mercury already had her on her feet. Mercury had Uranus sling her left arm over her shoulder, and then Sailor Moon was there at her right side from extra support.

"Hurry you three! It's all coming down!" Luna cried, just as more floorboards from above came crashing down. Uranus did her best to move her aching legs, but it was mostly Sailor Moon and Mercury who did all the work. Just as they leapt out of the open bay door, the rest of the second floor and the warehouse roof gave way, collapsing into the loading bay and kicking up a plume of dust and dirt.

The sound of sirens filled the air as the noise from the collapse died away. "Oh great, the others still stuck in there!" cried Sailor Moon. "Mercury, were they…"

"No. None of the survivors on the second floor were in the part of the warehouse that collapsed," said Uranus as she was practically dragged toward the shore. "A small comfort. Our first run-in with this enemy was an abject failure otherwise."

"Still the glass-half-empty type, I see," Luna snorted. "Whoever this Eclipse is, Sailor Moon managed to wound her badly, and Mercury no doubt gathered some pertinent data we can pour over. Next time, we'll have a better idea what we're dealing with."

They took Uranus down onto to where Jupiter had set Neptune down. The moonlight washed over the sparkling waters splashing against the sand, very close to where Neptune was sitting. She looked drained after tanking Eclipse's dark power, then getting sandwiched between Uranus and all that debris, but she would recover. She and Uranus had endured far worse. Neptune was already regaining her focus. Taking back her talisman offered by Jupiter, she glared into it. "Gone. Not even the faintest trace of dark energy remains, and we were all in the right place at the right time when Eclipse struck. Who knows if we'll be so lucky when she surfaces again?"

"Then it might be a good idea to not rely on dark energy to pinpoint Eclipse," said Mercury. "That oily ooze of hers… Maybe that could be used against her. If only I didn't have to freeze the ooze that pinned Uranus. A sample would've been useful."

Jupiter was standing close to Neptune, occasionally glancing down as if to make sure she was fine. But then, Jupiter's gaze slid down to her boot, and her eyes widened. Uranus saw it too. A bit of Eclipse's gunk had gotten lodged in the laces. Smiling, Jupiter reached down to pull it loose, then dumped it in a discarded beer bottle. "Here's your sample, Mercury," said Jupiter.

Mercury left Uranus's side to take it, leaving her to slump into Sailor Moon's arms. _Hmph, quite the role reversal,_ Uranus thought with an anxious smile, remembering all the times she had held Usagi close in times of crisis. Now it was Sailor Moon that had her arms around her as she slid down onto the sand, still not quite recovered from the ordeal in the warehouse.

"I'll need some time to analyze this stuff. For now, I can get quicker results pouring over the data I already have," said Mercury as she took the bottle. Tucking it under her arm, she began to furiously type at her computer.

"I'm with Luna, believe it or not," said Sailor Moon, as if sensing Uranus's lingering unease. "We're in a lot better shape than we usually are after tackling some new screwball out to conquer the world. I mean, usually my old attacks don't do a thing on the first monster a new enemy sends out."

Despite herself, Uranus was letting herself be encouraged by Sailor Moon and Luna's optimism. That was, until Mercury suddenly spoke up. "Ummm, I think Sailor Moon may be mistaken. About this being a 'new' enemy, that is…"

Everyone turned to face Mercury, their widening eyes reflecting the graveness of her voice. It was Jupiter who dared to speak up first. "Ummm, Mercury, just what is that supposed to mean?"

"I had my computer crunch the scan data from when Eclipse was throwing around all that dark power, along with the scans from the burns left on those victims. The energy signature, well…" Mercury's face screwed up, her anxiety palpable. Then she turned her computer around to show them what was on the screen…

 **94.8% MATCH: DARK KINGDOM**

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This story is winding up being harder to write than I thought. The last two big stories I did, _Zero Witching Hour_ and _Dynamic Equilibrium_ , starred women that were super-intelligent and tended to be with it. Sailor Moon's a different story altogether, so writing from her perspective is proving quite challenging. Part of the reason why Haruka's segment in this chapter wound up being longer. And let's not get into the flak I've got regarding some of the original villains I've dreamed up for past stories, and my worries that Eclipse will come off as too overpowered and what-have-you…

So long,

Grey-X


	3. Silence in the Snow

Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 3: Silence in the Snow

3-13-2017

By Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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This latest mess began as the sun was setting, but now it rose, its gentle warmth flowing over Gai Izumi's backside as he approached his goal. It had taken some time to get this far across the city. The authorities and the paramedics had swarmed toward the warehouse by the river faster than Gai figured, and he couldn't let himself be seen. No doubt there were still some who would recognize him. On top of that, there was no telling just how long the Sailor Senshi would be kept occupied. They might come after him wanting answers. Thankfully, Gai was no stranger to skulking around in the darkness.

As he was doing right now, going into this building that also housed the business's robotics laboratory. Ironically, in years past, Gai wouldn't have had to sneak into such a place. He would be sent to 'oversee' meetings of stockholders, to simply let certain ones be reminded of who had an 'interest' in their doings. Just his presence was intimidating enough, but despite his somewhat lanky physique, Gai was more than willing and able to dish out the hurt if need be. But his arrival this morning was for another purpose entirely.

Fishing around in his pocket, he found the special remote his aunt made for him. With this, he could shut off any of the automated security measures put in place. And she had insisted on having them, given how she was the victim of a brutal attack over a year ago, one she still was reluctant to talk about. It clearly still weighed on her mind. The fact that she entrusted Gai with the means to disable the bulk of them showed her trust in him. He was perhaps the only one she truly trusted these days.

With the cameras neutralized and her hidden traps disabled, Gai climbed over the fence and made his way toward the door in the back. One that had a small, vertical rectangular window with tough bulletproof glass. "As if that'll do a lick of good against who she's picking a fight with," Gai grumbled sourly as he walked up to it. With the sun at his back, he could make out his reflection in the window, his long, thin face staring back at him with a little worry. A little blood had been splattered on him during the chaos by the river, and after his trek across town, his hair now looked a little messy. Instinctively, he combed it back with his fingers, winding up using his left hand. Seeing the nub that used to be his pinky finger in the reflection, he sighed. A reminder of what were, ironically, simpler times.

Seeing no point in delaying the meeting any further, Gai went in, ducked down a stairwell nearby, and started navigating the halls down below. Even knowing that all the traps were disabled, Gai couldn't help but feel a little anxious. He thought he figured out his aunt long ago, but over the last few years, she had become even more stern, even more driven. Though Gai could empathize as to why.

Finally, he reached the door that led to his aunt's secret office, and without preamble, Gai stormed in. "OK, no one tailed me, but I'll have to be out of here quick or the employees trickling in to work might see me." As expected, it was quite dark in her office. Depressingly dark, even for him. The only light there was came from the many computers screens that encircled his aunt's desk.

At the moment, Gai couldn't even see his aunt. She was on the short side, after all, so that tall, high-backed office chair obscured her from view. But when she spoke, her voice alone was enough to establish a forceful presence. Not yelling, not even raised, but carrying a hard, unnerving edge. "Now, Gai, with an attitude like that, one would think you're looking for excuses to not visit your dear aunt. And after all I've done for you."

"What you've done for me… It's quite complicated, isn't it?" Gai spat back. "When I was younger, getting mixed up in the yakuza, you kept pressuring me to find a way out. And I only sank further in, becoming slightly lesser of a man for it." He held up his left hand, as if to show that while his own family was far from perfect, the yakuza hadn't exactly been a perfect surrogate family either. "And when I finally did decide enough was enough… It's like the reverse of that catchphrase in those American crime movies. The yakuza didn't pull me back in. After all you did to watch my back, then you _PUSHED_ me back in, Erina."

"Not without reluctance," his aunt said quickly, right before turning her chair around. As always, clad in a white lab coat, wearing those dark glasses to shield her sensitive eyes. Her long black hair cascaded everywhere, looking quite messy. Even in her late forties, Erina Kizachi looked quite beautiful, in a resolute, statuesque way, despite all the signs of creeping age on her face. But what struck one most was this air of quiet perniciousness, of frightful determination. It was something beyond any yakuza boss Gai served under. For a moment, he actually found himself pitying the Sailor Senshi. They had no idea what was really coming. "I had no one else I could turn to who had the… connections you have. To worm his way into Japan's seediest underbelly, and help me manipulate certain factors to our benefit."

"'Our' benefit?" Gai repeated, scoffing. "Don't lie to yourself, Auntie Erina. This is about your agenda, your own designs for Japan. I'm just going along because I feel I owe you more than any of my old yakuza buddies."

"And here I've always been accused of judging _you_ too harshly," Erina said smoothly.

"Sorry, Auntie Erina, but a man in my position can't help but sometimes feeling like a pawn," said Gai. "Especially considering how you've been manipulating your own husband."

Erina's head actually dipped a little, and she even let out a sigh. "Again, not without reluctance," she groaned. "But you know as well as I that after what… happened, our marriage became empty, a sham."

"One of the many reasons you want Sailor Moon's head," Gai pointed out.

"Still you misunderstand me, Gai. It's not Sailor Moon's head I want, but her heart. And after all this careful planning, I finally may be close to crushing it," said Erina. "So I'll keep up the charade of being happily married to a member of the House of Councillors a little longer. A prestigious, respectable robotics engineer seeking to better Japan. Of course, my idea of making it better involves…" Erina stopped suddenly, gasping as if in pain, nearly doubling over in her chair. She clutched her stomach for a moment.

As frustrating as his aunt could be, Gai couldn't be unmoved by the sight of her in pain. But what was causing it? "Aunt Erina," he breathed as he moved to help her, but Erina shoved him away.

"Nothing to worry about, at least not right now," Erina said tersely. "You're the only one I can rely on these days, Gai, so I need you focused on the present. So tell me, did you take care of business before chaos descended on the warehouse?"

 _Of course you can only rely on me fully, considering who_ ELSE _you've teamed up with,_ Gai thought acidly. But despite his concern for his aunt, Gai couldn't help but smile wickedly. "I covered our tracks and everyone is still without a clue, just like how no one had a clue about the living hell they were in for. Even after so many raids, they still get caught with their pants down. I even heard a lot of yakuza toughs came up with a name: Eclipse."

"Eclipse," Erina repeated softly, looking up into Gai's eyes. Gai couldn't see through those dark lenses, but he could imagine a mischievous glint in her eyes. That taunting smile of hers told him everything. "I like it. See to it that its use spreads. That's the sort of name that sticks in your head, gets the point across, and most importantly, I envision it being like a dagger through Sailor Moon's heart soon enough."

"Speaking of her, how did the Sailor Senshi fare after I left?" asked Gai.

To Gai's surprise, Erina smiled even more broadly. "Those two Senshi I actually owe my life to, they've reappeared. Quite ironic, actually. They're supposed to have stronger powers to deal with grave alien threats, yet it was the others that posed the greatest danger. Especially Sailor Moon herself. She's grown far more capable than when I first began observing her closely."

"You sound… happy about that," Gai pointed out, confused.

"I'm a scientist first and foremost, Gai," Erina said simply. "There's a certain gratification that comes with forming hypotheses after meticulous observations, and then seeing you were right. This just means that breaking Sailor Moon will be all the more satisfying."

"But if Sailor Moon's so much more dangerous than anyone suspects, how are you going to beat her?" Gai demanded.

Erina shook her head. "You're still not getting it. It's not about besting Sailor Moon in a contest, let alone necessarily killing her. It's about _BREAKING_ her, and I already knew that that would be no easy task. She's suffered excruciating pain before, and she didn't break. She literally watched close friends die right in front of her, and she didn't break. She's fought people she deeply cares about after they were brainwashed, and she didn't break. Sailor Moon may seem like nothing but a klutzy crybaby with an impossibly thick skull, but the truth is her heart and mind are tempered steel at this point. No, I've long since realized that to truly defeat Sailor Moon, I'd have to get… creative. Attack her in ways she'll never see coming, ways no one else has come at her before."

"Is that how your Sentinel pet project comes into all of this?" Gai went on, still a little unnerved. "I mean, a whole new generation of mutant-hunting robots? Why would you, of all people, want a part of that?"

"Same reason as why I'm continuing the farce my marriage has become. And why you're still playing the part of a loyal yakuza member while actually helping plunge a knife in so many of their backs. A means to an end," Erina said coldly. "Oh, and speaking of the Sentinels, I believe they're finally ready for a test run."

"That's… good," said Gai uneasily. "But tell me, why am I getting some bad vibes from you right now?"

"I can't always be down here in my private office, Gai. You know that. Things are entering a critical, delicate stage," said Erina. "So you'll have to stick close whenever you can, in case the perfect opportunity for a field test happens while I'm away."

"Wait, you want _ME_ to oversee one of these walking death machines!?" spat Gai. One might think someone so closely tied to the yakuza would jump at the chance, but frankly, it made Gai more anxious than ever. "Robots are your thing, Aunt Erina, not mine."

"Fear not, nephew," Erina said silkily. "I've idiot-proofed the interface so hard, even Sailor Moon herself couldn't screw it up."

"Well that's… HEY!" Gai roared. Erina just smiled again and laughed softly. It had been some time since Gai saw his aunt smile _and_ laugh. It was good to see that again after so many years. And though it still unnerved him a little, Gai felt sorry for the Sailor Senshi. What was coming would unnerve them much more.

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Like all little girls, Chibiusa was one who could get bored rather easily. Mercifully, and quite surprisingly, boredom was the only thing plaguing the pink-haired girl at the moment. After all that happened some time ago, being forced to stay in the new home of those who once hunted Hotaru should make her blood boil. Maybe it was knowing that one day she would see Hotaru restored, maybe it was just not in her nature to harbor grudges, but Chibiusa just didn't feel any anger welling up within her. Just mind-numbing boredom as she roamed around Michiru and Haruka's house. Looking around, it was clear that they were still in the process of moving in. There were stacks of cardboard boxes in most rooms, and not much in the way of paintings and photos adorned the walls. And since the Sailor Senshi had a new crisis on their hands, there wouldn't be much time for settling in.

Judging from the clanking of tools Chibiusa heard from the door leading to Haruka's garage, there was plenty of other things on their to-do list. _At least SOMEONE around here has something to keep her mind occupied,_ Chibiusa thought sourly. Curious, Chibiusa poked her head inside. Haruka had changed into jeans and a grimy white t-shirt since the other Senshi were woken by Usagi practically shrieking over their communicators, telling them all to get their butts over to Haruka and Michiru's new house. That had been around nine-o'-clock last night. Now, it was halfway through the following morning, and still no word from the Inner Senshi. And that was no doubt gnawing at Haruka. Chibiusa could sense her agitation as she tuned up her dirtbike, her back turned to Chibiusa. Haruka was quite standoffish with most of the Inner Senshi, but she had this weird bond with Usagi, almost as if Haruka saw her as a little sister.

Haruka wasn't so wrapped up in her work, though, that it dulled her senses. It only took a few seconds for her to realize Chibiusa was there. Turning her head, she glared at the little girl impatiently. "Still no word?" she demanded simply.

Chibiusa shook her head. "Nothing," she added, actually empathizing with Haruka for once. It was the uncertainty that was killing the both of them. The Dark Kingdom, the ones responsible for the Moon Kingdom's initial destruction. It was assumed they were dealt with long before Chibiusa arrived in this time and the Outer Senshi came to this city. Now it looked like they could be back. "At least you've found something to do in the meantime. Actually, I think you're dealing with the waiting better than I am."

"I just keep telling myself I must be patient, I suppose," said Haruka. "In my mind, I understand the logic. The Inner Senshi are the ones who have experience dealing with the Dark Kingdom, and there needs to be Senshi here in case there's another Eclipse attack." Chibiusa then saw Haruka's grip on her socket wrench tighten. "But in my heart… This waiting is driving me insane!"

"Yeah, it sucks when you're worrying if a good friend might get obliterated." The words shot out of Chibiusa's mouth before she bothered to think on them. Maybe she wasn't as over Haruka and Michiru's previous antics as she thought. Chibiusa hoped Haruka's skin was thick enough to let it pass, but her heart sank when Haruka actually looked chastised, averting downcast eyes as she scowled.

 _Great, Chibiusa. This was one time you should've listened to Usagi, and you couldn't keep your tongue in check,_ Chibiusa fumed inwardly as she turned from the garage. Usagi had pleaded with her to not start anything while waiting here, and things were going good until her mouth just fired off on its own. As she wandered the house again, she eventually came across the cats in the living room, who all looked as impatient and sick with worry as she and Haruka. "Still nothing?" Chibiusa asked, wanting this maddening wait to be over.

Artemis shook his head. "Not a thing. At least we can take heart that if there was something significant, they would've found it by now and alerted us." Chibiusa knew Artemis purposefully left out that it could be because the Inner Senshi could've been obliterated by a resurgent Dark Kingdom already.

Chibiusa sighed and shook her head. Looking around again, she decided it was finally time to stoop to the go-to time-killer and mind-number of this era: television. There was a small box next to the entertainment center. Peeking into it, Chibiusa saw a bunch of tapes. She had noticed that the television had a built-in VCR and DVD player. Shrugging her shoulders, she popped in the tape at the top and hit play.

Whatever this tape was, it was obviously shot with a home camcorder. But that wasn't what Chibiusa found surprising. What was surprisingly was the sight of Michiru lying on the hood, wearing a short white dress. It was almost as if the fabric was so thin, you could see through it. And Michiru even sported a wide, happy grin! Chibiusa had seen Michiru smile plenty of times, but never saw her so…carefree and gleeful. Then Haruka stepped into the frame, also with a surprisingly broad grin, climbing onto the hood with Michiru, and…

A shriek so deafening filled the living room, Chibiusa at first thought Usagi was back. Instead, a second later, Michiru slid in front of the television, having moved so fast it was as if she appeared out of thin air. And in contrast to how she looked on that tape, Michiru's expression was one of mingled panic and embarrassment. She still tried to smile, though; an anxious, forced smile as she felt behind her for the eject button.

Chibiusa just stared up at Michiru for a moment, completely nonplussed. "Um, Michiru… What was that?"

Michiru was still wide-eyed with embarrassment. "Um, well, for Haruka's last birthday, we made a little, um, home video. Nothing you need to see…"

Chibiusa blanched, and couldn't help but have her tongue hang out of her mouth when her jaw dropped. "You're…right. I don't need to see that."

"Good. Glad we agree," said Michiru nervously. "You just, um, watch something else while I go put this tape someplace…safe." And with that, Michiru scampered out of the living room, leaving a weirded-out Chibiusa alone with the cats.

"Wow, grown-up relationships can sure be…weird," said Chibiusa, shaking her head as she grabbed the remote. The cats plopped down on the couch with her as she began flipping channels. First, there was some weirdly brutal game show. The current contest apparently involved men drinking a whole bunch of water, then forced to endure blows to their nether regions to see who could resist the urge to pee. "Ugh, no need to think about that. Changing the channel," grumbled Chibiusa.

Next came that stupid anime with the hamsters. "Oh gag," grumbled Chibiusa. "Talking hamsters. How ridiculous can you get?"

"Ummm, you're around talking cats every day, Chibiusa," Luna reminded her delicately.

"Yeah well… Cats are smart and serve a purpose," Chibiusa said quickly. "The ancient Egyptians revered cats. Please show me the ancient civilization that worshipped hamsters," she went on before changing the channel again. "Well here you go, here's one about talking cats. Much better. But wait, the cats are speaking in English?" There were Japanese subtitles, but the voices in English and the decidedly different animation style told Chibiusa it came from across the Pacific. "OK, we've got talking cats that fly a jet plane. And they're fighting this giant green cat-mushroom, and these two robotic cats, and… Wow, American anime is just plain weird," Chibiusa said before changing the channel again.

"America is a weird place, period," said Luna. "Over there, they have the big green angry guy, the red-and-blue spider guy, the biker guy with a flaming skull for a head…"

"Any weirder than what the Sailor Senshi put up with?" Artemis pointed out. But what popped up on the television next was certainly not anything whimsical. No, it showed cold, harsh reality. It was some sort of news report, dealing with mutants in Japan. It was recorded footage of a girl in a shopping mall, only a few years older than Chibiusa. Her hands were clasped over her mouth as a crowd gathered, which was unnerving the girl to no end. And then, unable to contain her power any longer, icy breath exploded out of the girl's mouth, making many jewelry display cases shatter. It was bad enough to see that girl so scared and confused about her powers. But seeing the fear on everyone else's faces as they scattered toward safety, fear that warped into naked hate, was even worse.

The news anchor's voice showing complete insensitivity to the girl's plight punctuated the sad state of affairs. "This was the third reported incident of a young mutant losing control publicly in the Juban area this week." A voice so cold, in a tone that implied that the girl was at fault. As if she wanted to scare and possibly hurt those people, as if she wasn't scared enough for all of them. "This serves to highlight the growing concern over the growing mutant population in Japan. And the fears that many of the populace have about unknown mutants, especially adolescents who have yet to manifest their abilities, spurring talk of mutant registry and…"

Having heard enough, Chibiusa just turned the television off. "With this sort of idiocy happening right here, maybe the Dark Kingdom doesn't even need to come back. With all this paranoia about mutants, we may do their job for them."

Chibiusa could feel the cats' stares upon her, no doubt taken aback by her vehemence. Finally, Luna spoke up. "Chibiusa, are there… still mutants in Crystal Tokyo?"

Chibiusa turned and fixed Luna with what she hoped was her best 'What kind of stupid question is that?' look. Diana took it upon herself to voice Chibiusa's disbelief. "Of course there's mutants in Crystal Tokyo. Plenty of them! Why do you ask?"

"Oh, it's all this talk about mutants lately, all the stuff on the news. I was just…sort of curious," Luna replied. "It's all sort of come out of nowhere. You expect this sort of stuff in other countries, especially America. I guess we never took the time to notice, with one enemy coming down to visit doom upon the world after another. But now that we have time to really see what's going on, I don't know…"

Luna's musings were abruptly interrupted by a bright flash coming from the backward. At last, answers were coming. Chibiusa sprang off the couch, just as Haruka stormed out of the garage and the light from the backyard faded. The Sailor Teleport was complete, and all of the Inner Senshi were back from investigating D-Point. The glass sliding door slid open, and Tuxedo Kamen stepped in first. The Inner Senshi followed one by one, frustrated looks on all their faces that told Chibiusa nothing. Sailor Moon was coming in last, and before she stepped inside, there was another series of glows, along with what looking like glowing, energized flower petals swirling everywhere. Their transformations were now undone. _That's good, right? If they undid their transformations, they don't expect an attack anytime soon, right?_ Chibiusa thought anxiously. Out loud, she said, "Well, did you find anything? Is the Dark Kingdom back? What's…"

It was as if Usagi couldn't even hear her. "Rei, how come you had to push me down that slope back there!? Geez, I'm willing to bet Eclipse really _WAS_ back there, just going by how icky that snow tastes!" Then Usagi tried to scrape the foul taste off her tongue with her finger. Chibiusa heard Haruka facepalm at the exact same moment she did.

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Nearly half a day traipsing in the Arctic… And Usagi thought what yesterday evening had devolved into was vexing! But after seeing the results of Ami's scans last night, the chill Usagi felt, for lack of a better word, 'eclipsed' the numbing cold awaiting at D-Point. At least, in physical terms. D-Point was the last place Usagi ever wanted to go back to. The memories of her friends dying one by one, the way bitter reality smacked her right in the face, showing her what the final rush against the Dark Kingdom was coming to. Sometimes, when thinking back, Usagi wondered why she used the Ginzuishou to reincarnate the Sailor Senshi without their memories. It took only a few minutes back up in that frozen wasteland for the chilling memories to rush back and remind her why. Then they had to spend HOURS AND HOURS going over the place, looking for any clue. It was no one's idea of a good time, and their moods soured the longer they stayed. And Rei, in particular, got less and less averse to showing her displeasure in…overt ways.

In fact, when she felt she got enough of that icky snow taste off, Usagi turned to see Rei glaring at her, arms folded. She looked as regal as ever in her shrine maiden getup, but as usual, it was Michiru that had the most refined air. Haruka, Chibiusa and the cats were already there, but Michiru strode in to join them, showing no impatience even though most everyone else showed exasperation. "So, if that's the worst news, I assume no one found anything in the Arctic?" Michiru suggested delicately.

"Not a thing!" roared Makoto, throwing up her hands. "Half a day freezing our asses off with nothing to show for it!"

"Yup, no trace of that spiky-shouldered Amazonian carrot-top or a walking oil spill anywhere," added Usagi.

"That pretty much sums it up," huffed Rei. "I tried and tried and tried, see if I could sense something fresh up there, some resurgent trace of evil power. But nope, just a whole lot of nothing. The trail at D-Point is dead and cold, both figuratively and literally. Ami scanned probably every square millimeter of D-Point too, and couldn't uncover a thing."

"Bottom line, whoever our new friend Eclipse is, wherever she came from… It wasn't there, and she didn't go back up there," added Minako.

"Given how her oil slick was sensitive to cold, that's not too surprising," Haruka pointed out. "But if it turned out that Usagi did a better job wiping out all traces of Queen Beryl and the Dark Kingdom than originally thought, how is it a trace of them lives on in Eclipse?"

"Just what could she be?" Artemis asked. "A leftover remnant? A youma of Beryl's that was a sleeper agent and inadvertently got activated?"

Usagi shivered at that thought, a sort of booby-trap Beryl left behind, but Michiru had other suppositions. "If that's it, how come she targeted that warehouse?" Michiru argued. "That was some thorough handiwork of Eclipse's, trashing the place while venting some rather frightening rage. It doesn't quite look like the work of a rogue agent just now being awakened. There is a method to this madness, I can sense it." Chills that had nothing to do with D-Point's iciness once again went up Usagi's spine. It would be better to at least know exactly what they were dealing with. So far, everything was still a guessing game, as D-Point yielded no clues.

"From the sound of things, we only have one lead: the bit of Eclipse's oil slick that Makoto found," Mamoru pointed out.

"Good thing I brought a bit of that with us," Ami suddenly said, quiet up to this point. "Maybe it wasn't a waste of time after all. Here and there, I took some time to analyze this stuff with my computer." Everyone turned to look at Ami, just as something ejected from the side of her compact computer. She pulled out a small slide that had been inserted, a small drop of Eclipse's oil slick contained in a little circle in the center. "It's already yielded a few surprising answers, but unfortunately, some new questions as well."

"Like what?" Usagi grumbled. On top of learning something from the Dark Kingdom survived, Usagi's head ached from all that time in the Arctic and lack of sleep. She didn't need any new headaches, none of them did.

"Let's hear what concrete answers you found first," said Haruka tersely. "What's so surprising about them?"

"First off, the genetic structure," said Ami. "There are definitely viable cells in this gunk, and after hours of having the computer scan them, there's no doubt about it: Eclipse is no youma. She's entirely human."

"How's that surprising?" Rei demanded. "We saw the Dark Kingdom control and corrupt people all the time."

"Well, for me it was, after considering the nature of her oil slick," said Ami. "You had to see Eclipse in action, Rei, the scary stuff her oil slick can do. I remembered reading about these alien creatures that Spider-Man fights on the other side of the Pacific. Parasites that latch onto their victims and turn them into monsters. I wondered if Eclipse might be one of those symbiotes, but figured Haruka and Michiru would've been able to sense if it was extraterrestrial, and these results finally disabused me of the notion. This oil slick isn't something latched on to Eclipse. It's _PART_ of Eclipse." Usagi shivered again, this time from disgust. The more they learned about Eclipse, the grosser she sounded.

"Did… the Dark Kingdom have the means to create a human like that?" Michiru asked uneasily.

Ami shook her head. "I don't think Beryl 'created' anything, Michiru. The DNA analysis suggests something else altogether. Eclipse is human, but she has a fully active X-gene. _THAT_ must be where her oil slick originates from."

"Just what the heck is an X-gene?" asked Makoto, confused.

"The radically mutated gene that gives mutants their superpowers," said Mamoru matter-of-factly. "It's something these people are born with."

"Wow, this gets more and more interesting," Minako cut in. "There used to be a mutant in Interpol. Before my time, but a lot of agents still gush over the guy. Sean Cassidy, I think his name was. Supposedly just as powerful as any of us. Mutant powers aren't something to take lightly."

Just when Usagi thought there would be no more unwelcome surprises, this revelation hit her like a ton of bricks. Their new enemy…was a mutant like Naru!? Mutants were having it pretty bad in Japan right now as it was. Now it turns out Beryl corrupted one of these poor souls before her downfall, and they might have to wipe her out!?

"Usagi, you OK?" Rei asked suddenly. It was in a softer tone of voice than usual from her. Usagi tensed. She couldn't really talk about why the subject of mutants got to her so much, not when she had an obligation to guard Naru's secret.

Thankfully, Rei turned back to Ami when she spoke up again. "Mamoru and Minako are right. That oil slick is definitely Eclipse's primary mutant power, and it's a potent one at that. I would actually be less surprised if Eclipse _WAS_ one of these alien symbiotes after what I saw. The tensile strength of that gunk, how it held Haruka fast, how it could change to suit Eclipse's needs with a thought… Those alien creatures, no doubt they were a product of countless eons of evolution. But to see something so similar pop up in a human via a single-generation mutation? It's mind-blowing, unbelievable. Yet the evidence is staring all of us in the face."

"Then it's little wonder Beryl chose Eclipse for whatever plans she had before Usagi stopped her cold," said Haruka.

"But just _WHAT_ would Beryl have wanted with her, outside of just another youma in her forces?" demanded Luna.

"I got it!" cried Minako, causing all eyes to turn to her. "Queen Beryl aimed to make her the fifth member of the Shitennou!"

"Why do you figure that, Minako?" asked Artemis.

"Well, for one thing, I bet Beryl was getting fed up with her generals always screwing up, losing to little girls at every turn," Minako said with a smirk. "So Beryl must've figured she'd fight fire with fire. Find a girl who already had superpowers of her own, then have Queen Metalia imbue her with dark power like the rest of them. I bet Beryl was pulling the same stunt with her that she did to turn Mamoru into a brainwashed Endymion, but it wasn't quite finished before Usagi iced Beryl, and only now did Eclipse wake up."

There was a long silence as the others considered Minako's theory. "It's…as good a theory as any," Michiru admitted. "Though it still doesn't explain the motive behind last night's attack."

"It does, however, explain why Eclipse blew her top at the sight of Sailor Moon," Haruka pointed out coldly, arms folded. "She could have been outraged at seeing her benefactor's killer."

"Still, if she's just another person enslaved by the Dark Kingdom, the Ginzuishou could restore her," Usagi said hopefully.

"That might be harder than you think, Usagi," said Ami. Eyes widening, Usagi looked back to her, but Ami was staring intently at her computer as she typed. "Minako might've been righter than she knew, about Queen Metalia 'gifting' Eclipse with dark power. There's one series of sequences on Eclipse's X-gene that don't quite look like a natural mutation. As if they were spliced in instead. It might be something spliced in by Queen Metalia herself, something she also did with Queen Beryl and the Shitennou way back. My theory is that's how they got permanently imbued with the ability to harness and manipulate dark energy. In essence, making the five of them artificial mutants."

"And now it's been done with a real mutant, stacking more powers on top of what was already there," Mamoru added gravely.

"If that's the case, it may be a tall order to have her purified with the Ginzuishou," Luna said sorrowfully.

Sorrow that Usagi echoed silently. Mutants faced enough challenges, and now they were called upon to possibly kill one? "We have to try! We can't just kill someone brainwashed by Queen Beryl!"

Haruka plopped on the couch, face buried in her hands. "Great. Here we go again."

"Not so fast, Haruka," Ami said quickly. "I also might've been right before, about finding a way to attack Eclipse through her oil slick. It may be possible to incapacitate her, or perhaps just weaken her enough for Usagi to heal her with the Ginzuishou."

Haruka glared at Ami dubiously, but Michiru sounded encouraged. "Just what do you plan to do?"

"Since this stuff comes out of Eclipse instead of clinging to her, it must be connected to her physiologically," Ami explained. "Even if she sucks this gunk up in pocket dimensions whenever she's not in a fight, it's got to be linked to her somehow. Sort of like a mollusk's open circulatory system. That gives us an opening."

"To do what?" Haruka demanded.

"I've been analyzing the protein structure of what serves as the backbones for this gunk's constructs. I…could spend years studying how this stuff can change so rapidly upon Eclipse's mental commands. For the moment, though, I've learned plenty of useful stuff. For instance, unlike Spider-Man's enemies, this gunk is not vulnerable to fire. Not only is it resistant to weathering from stuff like wind and water, heat doesn't destabilize the protein structure. But extreme cold does, plus the liquid nature and its solutes render it susceptible to electric discharges."

"Which explains why you and Makoto could weaken Eclipse, while Haruka and I accomplished little," said Michiru. She said it without a hint of envy or frustration, but Usagi caught the scowl on Haruka's face. "What else did you find?"

"It will take some time, but I believe I can come up with a chemical agent, an enzyme of sorts that can further weaken the protein structure of this gunk, make Eclipse's control over it falter," Ami went on. "Combine this with a potent tranquilizer, and we may have something that can stop Eclipse dead in her tracks."

Silence lingered again, and Usagi dared to let her hopes rise. "So that way, we'll have the time to heal Eclipse with the Ginzuishou, get some answers out of her… Whatever we need!" she burst out happily. A chance to avoid the conflict over what to do about Sailor Saturn, avoid hurting someone like Naru? It sounded a little too good to be true. And indeed, a douse of cold water was coming.

"How long would it take to make something like that?" Chibiusa asked uneasily.

Ami shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. A week perhaps, maybe longer. With Mamoru's help, the process could be sped up a bit, but…"

"It's still possibly a week or more during which Eclipse will have free reign!" snapped Haruka. "Did you not see all those broken bodies, Ami!? We have no idea when Eclipse will strike again, and next time she may not be content with beating men within an inch of their lives! We need to…"

"No, Haruka," Michiru cut in coldly, earning a surprised glare from her soulmate. "We were wrong about Hotaru Tomoe. Ami deserves a chance to try her plan, at least until we have more answers about Eclipse, or it looks like there's no choice but to destroy her."

"And like Ami said, things'll go faster if I help her. I know a good deal about biochemistry," Mamoru added. Turning to Usagi, he said, "Sorry, Usa-ko, but looks like all our plans for this week are shot." Strangely, Usagi didn't feel a twinge of disappointment. Not if it meant they could avoid killing a mutant in cold blood.

"I shall lend a hand, too. The sooner we get this concoction finished, the better," said Michiru. Usagi grew even more hopeful. If even Michiru was seeing things her way, cold as she could be, they had a chance to avoid any more bloodshed. But another splash of cold water was coming. "However, we must all be in agreement about something. If Ami's plan fails, and if it turns out the Ginzuishou can't purify Eclipse, we deal with this mutant by any means necessary."

There was a grave weight to Michiru's words, punctuated by another uneasy silence. To Usagi's horror, some of the Inner Senshi eventually nodded their heads. Haruka spoke up again, but Usagi almost didn't hear her over the sound of her heart pounding. "In the meantime, I have no intention of just sitting around while some chemical weapon gets cooked up. That warehouse… It was in a seedier part of town. There's a chance it has yakuza connections."

"Meaning…what?" Chibiusa demanded.

Haruka smirked at Chibiusa. "As much as it ruffles Michiru's feathers, I sometimes engaged in… illicit street racing. I have a few connections within the sordid underbelly of Tokyo. I could ask around, see what the deal with that warehouse was."

"I can help with that," Minako chimed in. "I've still got Interpol contacts who'll open up to me. I can see if the yakuza in this part of the city have been up to anything fishy. Maybe we'll figure out Eclipse's motives this way."

Rei clapped her hands together. "I like this. For once, we don't have to wait for the enemy to randomly target people to figure things out. In the meantime, after we all get a little sleep, I'll see if I can sense where Eclipse is hiding out."

"Don't get your hopes up," said Michiru sourly. "This mutant kept throwing off my Deep Aqua Mirror. It might be the same story with your psychic talents."

"Well, I won't know unless I give it a shot!" Rei barked confidently. She echoed the confidence, the renewed sense of purpose, that most of them were feeling, but Usagi didn't share. Because even if they dealt with _THIS_ mutant, what about what the other mutants in Japan faced these days? Could Sailor Moon do nothing for them?

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Looking past the women gathered this late in the afternoon for seemingly no other reason than to berate her, Rei saw that Usagi and Michiru were beginning their trek up the steps to the Hikawa Shrine. Both were carrying boxes that contained the last of what Ami and Mamoru needed to develop this chemical weapon that, hopefully, would render Eclipse helpless. It was decided that the work would be done here at the shrine, with the cover story that Ami wanted a jump start on high school projects. Working at Mamoru's college would draw unneeded attention, and Haruka and Michiru's house was too far away from the heart of the city, where Eclipse would likely strike again. Plus, it felt only natural, considering the Hikawa Shrine had virtually been the Sailor Senshi's base of operations all this time.

But listening to these chattering idiots only served to remind Rei of those rather lonely days before discovering she was a Sailor Senshi. Or more precisely, the very day she awakened as one. "You mean you have no way if figuring out just what this thing is, or where she came from!?" demanded one middle-aged woman eyeing Rei angrily. Rei just returned her gaze, hoping to come off as cool and impassive, but inside she was seething. "Don't you get newspapers delivered up at this dump? Haven't you heard about what happened at that warehouse by the river!?"

"Yeah, from the statements given… This thing is pure evil!" chimed in another woman. "My brother was there when this Eclipse freak attacked. He'll be bedridden and eating from a straw for at least a month! And you're saying you can't use your spiritual powers to track this freak down, even with all the evil vibes she must be giving off!?"

Rei took a deep breath before answering. "If Eclipse is just another mutant, then the answer is 'no'. A Shinto priestess's abilities aren't radar for a genetic abnormality. It just doesn't work that way." At least she didn't exactly have to lie. It was true that she had no way of pinpointing mutants, though that certainly would be useful. Only Eclipse's dark power would let Rei possibly zero in on her location, or discover her identity. But no need to tell these morons about that.

 _No, not necessarily morons,_ Rei told herself. _Just not thinking straight because of their fear._ That would explain their desperation in coming to her. Rei still had a bit of infamy because of her rumored psychic talents, so that meant these people were MORE scared of mutants than they were of her. Rei took no comfort in that. It only threatened to make her lose her temper even faster. Things were getting worse and worse for mutants in Japan these days, and the painful memories of being viewed with suspicion because of her own powers… Rei could empathize with mutants in a way few others could. That's why she fervently hoped Ami's plan would work.

The women muttered amongst themselves, then huffed as they turned to leave. They didn't step down very far before Rei heard them complain about her, obviously not considering she might still be able to hear them. "I don't believe for a second she can't do anything about this freak," one snapped. Well, she was actually right about that. Rei would've given anything to show her how right, preferably by using Mars Flame Sniper.

"She always had this reputation," muttered another. "Just one freak looking out for another freak."

"Maybe it's not really spiritual powers she has," suggested a third. "If she's got powers, she might just be one of these mutant freaks too."

After that, their words finally faded from her hearing. Thanks in part to the blood pounding in Rei's ears. Rei just stared at them a little longer in disbelief. _To think, the Sailor Senshi put so much blood, sweat and tears into protecting idiots like THESE,_ she fumed inwardly. Where did this sort of hate and paranoia come from? How had it taken root in Japan right under their noses?

It wasn't long before Rei sensed she was being watched. Turning to her right, she saw Usagi there, her gaze turning from her to the departing crowd and back. Once she saw Rei look at her, though, she anxiously ran to catch up with Michiru. Watching Usagi run into the shrine, Rei thought, _She was rightfully aghast about the idea of killing someone manipulated by the Dark Kingdom, but is there more to it? Something about Eclipse being a mutant? Ami mentioned to me once that Usagi asked her about mutants, out of the blue one day. What's going on with her?_ It couldn't be that she was a mutant herself, could it? Usagi was certainly weird, but being a mutant on top of the reborn Moon Princess? _Then again, supposedly anyone can be born a mutant…_

Rei shook her head, deciding now wasn't the time. Usagi would come clean about whatever was bothering her one day. Right now, they had more pressing problems. So Rei followed Usagi back into the shrine, and fired up her hearth. She knelt down, prepping herself for meditative focus. But her concentration was soon broken by a wail from Usagi. She had tripped, causing her box's contents to fly everywhere. She nervously dashed all around to catch every bit of laboratory glassware before they could shatter all over the shrine floor. Rei shot her a look, which Usagi no doubt felt even though her back was turned to her. Looking over her shoulder with a nervous grin, she sauntered over into the side room, arms full of glassware.

Sighing deeply, Rei turned to gaze back into the flames. Soon, she shut her eyes and focused, beginning her chant. If Eclipse was out there, Rei was determined to find her, forget whatever Michiru said. And so, Rei focused like never before, resolved to stamp out this one last remnant of the Dark Kingdom.

But soon, Rei had to admit that their new enemy might just be as elusive as Michiru suggested. Rei concentrated harder, letting her consciousness wash over the city in an effort to find any trace of Eclipse, but still had no luck. No, that wasn't entirely true. Several times, Rei felt she had latched on to _SOMETHING_ , something dark and ominous, but it always slipped away. Slippery like…oil. This Eclipse had an oil slick in more ways than one, then.

It only served to fuel Rei's determination. This was confirmation that Eclipse was out there, and her power potentially _COULD_ lock onto the mysterious mutant. It was a matter of will, or at least that's what Rei chose to believe.

And so, she kept probing. So many of the other Senshi were hard at work, and they were counting on her to do her part. Rei would not let them down. After all, who else had a psychic talent that could pull this off?

Rei soon got an unwelcome answer to that question. As she kept chanting and focusing her power, Rei felt something different. Nothing like the oily taint of Eclipse's elusive presence, but rather, as if… Something _ELSE_ was trying to probe the city for something. No, Rei had the eerie feeling it was some _one_ , someone with uncanny power. Rei tried to steer clear of it, but then, with no warning, this other power seemed to just wash over her, pull at her…

It all happened so suddenly, Rei didn't even have time to scream. For a moment, everything was a blurry haze, and she didn't know where she was. At the moment, all Rei could do was hear, and the only thing reaching her ears was…the steady hum of a machine? From all around her?

Rei's eyes snapped open, only to find herself not kneeling down in her shrine, but lying face down somewhere else. Instead of polished wood, she now found herself prone on cold, polished metal. Not exactly cold…she couldn't really feel the metal touching her skin. Grumbling to herself, Rei slowly stood up and looked around, getting another huge shock. Metal surrounded her on all sides; as it were, it looked like she was trapped in some gigantic, metal sphere. More confused than ever, Rei looked around some more. Behind her, she saw a circular door that led to who-knew-where. But the door… What was that, an 'X' on it?

Stepping forward, Rei reached out to touch it. That's when she noticed she could see through her entire arm. Gasping, Rei staggered back and looked down at herself. Her entire 'body' was translucent. Rei was in such a state of shock, it took a bit before her brain got back in working order.

 _I'm not really here, wherever 'here' is,_ Rei reasoned. _Whatever power was sweeping across the city as I focused, it must have pulled me along toward its source of origin. Or at least, it pulled me in spirit form or something…_

As Rei kept looking down at her spiritual projection, she noticed that she was standing on some narrow walkway suspended within this weird sphere, leading from that door. Turning back around, her eyes followed it to the center of the room, and Rei gasped again.

There was someone there, but who, Rei couldn't be sure. He or she was seated at some computer console, and Rei couldn't even see a head. There was only this weird helmet thing that moved a little. Besides, what Rei could sense told her more than her eyes at this point. Whoever this was, he or she was definitely the source of the psychic power that pulled her here. The sheer force that was exuded… If Rei was still in her body, she was sure it would chill here to the bone.

Rei awkwardly stepped forward, not sure why. Soon, whoever it was spoke, and Rei was certain it was a man. An older man, from the sound of it, a stern but wizened voice. Unfortunately, he was speaking in English, and Rei was little better with the language than Makoto or Usagi, as much as she hated to admit it. Rei didn't quite need to understand English, though, to sense the frustration in the man's voice. And Rei still caught a few words, one of them being 'mutant'. There could be no doubt about it. This man was searching for a mutant, too. But if it was Eclipse he was looking for, it sounded as if he was having no better luck than Rei.

Now only a few meters away from this guy, Rei stopped, not quite certain what to do. A moment later, though, Rei sensed the man's mood shifted from resolved patience to indignation over an…intrusion. Rei steeled herself as the chair swung around. It was a wheelchair! And the man seated in it, dressed in a sharp suit. But that face, what she could see of it while he wore that weird helmet with tubes attached… Definitely an older man, late fifties perhaps, and not happy about someone inadvertently stepping into his personal space, even in spirit form.

He began to shout demands in English, which of course Rei couldn't understand. But if the tone of his words wasn't plain enough, the sheer force radiating off of him told Rei plenty. Power like this… Rei had never felt anything like this before, and he probably wasn't even _TRYING_ to use it against her! He was just that powerful! Compared to him, her own psychic talents were like a candle before a forest fire! And since she was dragged here in spiritual form, Rei was getting the full brunt of it.

And so, without really having a mouth, Rei screamed in terror and agony as she felt her spiritual form get blasted away. And she kept on screaming, until she became dimly aware that she had to once again draw in breath to do so. Then she felt hands shaking her violently.

Rei's eyes fluttered open, everything still hazy. It took a moment to bring her vision into focus, and saw Usagi, Mamoru, Ami and Michiru all kneeling over her. Little surprise that this ordeal left her on the floor in a crumpled heap. The power that guy had, the way he flung her away with no effort…

"Rei, what happened!? What did this to do, Rei!? REI!?" Usagi shrieked, still shaking her. On instinct, Rei swatted her hands away.

"I-I-I-I'll be fine, Usagi," Rei grumbled, trying to find the strength to sit up, but she was still too shaken. Getting the hint, Ami and Michiru moved to prop her up.

"Just what happened, Rei?" Michiru asked after a moment. "Is this something Eclipse did to you?"

Rei could only shake her head, still not sure she could talk yet. "No, definitely not," she eventually croaked out. "But Michiru, Ami… you all better finish that chemical concoction and fast."

Ami's eyes widened in surprise. "Uhh, why is that?" she asked anxiously.

Rei turned to fix Ami with a steely gaze. "I don't think we're the only ones hunting Eclipse."

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Given my unfamiliarity with the Japanese language, coming up with original names for characters has been quite hard. I can't come up with stuff like Usagi Tsukino, which LITERALLY means 'rabbit of the moon'. But Erina's name… it came from two things. There's the anime _Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma_ , __which has the character Erina Nakiri, a pompous hardass who obsessively strives for perfection. Oh let's not mince words, she's pure Tsundere. And then there's Erina Shindo from _Gonna be the Twintail!_ , who has a hardass mother that looks like she was separated from Samus Aran at birth. And the full name Erina Kizachi, I just like how it has this evil ring to it that rolls off the tongue, almost like Oroku Saki from _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_. And since Shredder is always a corrupting influence in any of his incarnations, it makes sense to want this villain to have that sort of evil-sounding name.

Anyway, if you haven't seen Logan yet, it gets my highest recommendation. It's the perfect sendoff for Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart. But wouldn't you know it, that movie had a mutant with ice breath too! I had that idea for this chapter for a long time, but nope, got beat to the punch by a movie…

So long,

Grey-X


	4. Cold Receptions

Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 4: Cold Receptions

4-1-2017

By Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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It seemed there was no end to the layers of mystery surrounding Eclipse. All the time Ami had at D-Point, studying her sample of Eclipse's oil slick, only yielded answers that in turn raised more questions. Her findings shed more light than ever before on the nature of Queen Beryl and the Shitennou's dark powers, but offered only tantalizing glimpses as to what the only remnant of the Dark Kingdom was all about. And no hints whatsoever as to what Eclipse wanted, though Haruka and Minako were going to help on that front. It seemed everyone had a part to play in this focused effort to stamp out all that remained of what obliterated the Moon Kingdom ages ago. Looking up from her microscope, Ami watched as Mamoru and Michiru set up the rest of the laboratory equipment on the huge table in the center of the shrine's side room. With the three of them putting their heads together, they could surely come up with a means to render Eclipse helpless, and finally get some real answers.

Or at least, that was what Ami fervently hoped. The Inner Senshi had long believed the Dark Kingdom was gone for good. That they could no longer cause any suffering, bring any more corruption. Yet there was one last case they missed, festering under their noses this whole time. That was galling enough, but there was the worry that if their chemical agent was a failure, and if the Ginzuishou failed at purifying Eclipse…

Ami shook her head, trying to dispel her doubts. _Got to believe I…we can do this,_ she told herself as she peered back into the microscope. All these unanswered questions about the Dark Kingdom were bad enough, but delving into the complexities of human mutation was proving to be a different beast altogether. She had read countless books on the subject, poured over just about every published paper that came out about the study of mutants. Given how all the Senshi were born…different, the phenomenon of fellow humans evolving with superpowers naturally fascinated Ami. But this was the first time Ami directly tackled the matter herself. That was why she wanted Mamoru's help; his familiarity with genetic research would prove invaluable. Something she was reminded of every time she scrutinized the bizarre composition of Eclipse's oil slick. It was still unthinkable, how such a trait could evolve in a single generation. Yet the more Ami studied it, she found something more wondrous about Eclipse.

"Uncanny," Ami muttered as she stared into the microscope. "There appear to be platelet-like structures in Eclipse's oily solution. Given how she was back on her feet shortly after Usagi tried cleaving her in half, I'd theorize these structures let her instantly seal what would otherwise be fatal wounds. That, and jumpstart the healing process. Letting her recover in days from what would take months for a normal human."

"In that case, we're on an even stricter timetable," Michiru said coolly from across the table. "This would mean Eclipse has already recovered from last night, or is close to it, and could launch another attack anytime."

From the tone of Michiru's voice, her meaning was plain: either we make this chemical weapon work, or they'd probably be forced to kill Eclipse. The idea horrified Ami, but both of them had seen the havoc Eclipse wreaked in that building. Something had to be done about, but Ami still resented how cold Michiru could be about it. They hadn't fought the Dark Kingdom. They hadn't seen good people corrupted by the machinations of Queen Beryl and the Shitennou. It made Ami question the wisdom of letting Haruka and Michiru be involved at all. Their powers had proven rather ineffective against Eclipse, anyway. _No, they'd butt in one way or another,_ Ami thought sourly. _Better it play out like this, so we can keep an eye on them, and Michiru's help really could speed things up._ A quick glance at Mamoru, who was standing behind Michiru and had been sorting bottles of organic compounds, told Ami he felt the same way. It was an uneasy union, but they had to make it work.

Tepid footsteps broke the tense silence that had lingered for a moment. The three of them turned to see Usagi step inside, a sullen look on her face. "Usa-ko, how's Rei?" Mamoru asked at length.

"I…finally convinced her to take a rest. She's still pretty shaken up," Usagi replied. "Actually, I don't think it took much convincing. Rei will never admit it, but whatever she encountered…scared her spitless. She's…not too anxious to try again anytime soon."

"There goes any hope of finding Eclipse that way," said Michiru. Ami shot her a look. Sounding more regretful about the loss of a tactical asset than the well-being of a fellow Senshi? Of course, she shouldn't let herself be too surprised by this side of Michiru. "But if this force is as powerful as Rei claims, I'd be wary too."

"But just who or what would also be going after Eclipse?" Mamoru wondered. "I mean, I've read reports about mutant psychics, really powerful ones. Powerful enough to affect whole groups of people. Or theoretically, even an entire city. But if it's another mutant, what's he after?"

"What else? Looking for another recruit," said Michiru tersely. "There are many groups of mutants out there from what I understand, some who mean well and some who mean ill. And since we don't know which this mutant telepath belongs to, it's imperative we get to Eclipse first."

Michiru's coolness about the whole thing still bothered Ami, but there was no disputing she was right. Now they possibly had to keep Eclipse from swelling the ranks of a mutant terrorist group, on top of keeping her from sending more people to the hospital. Or worse. No matter how hard they tried to get a handle on this situation, things kept spiraling out of the Sailor Senshi's control. Sighing, Ami turned to see she wasn't the only one bothered by that. Usagi looked as perturbed as ever when the subject of mutants came up. "Th-There's whole teams of mutants out there?" she asked dubiously.

"There are mutants everywhere, Usagi, so it's natural some would band together," said Michiru. "Why, Japan even boasts another rather powerful one named Shiro Yoshida, who calls himself Sunfire. And when he's not working directly for Japan's government, I believe he works with one such group. The name escapes me for the moment, though."

Usagi let all that sink in, still looking anxious. Just what made her so anxious when mutants were involved!? Ami had thought it was a one-time thing when Usagi first came to her, just wanting some momentary curiosity satisfied. It was becoming abundantly clear something else was going on. A fact made crystal clear when Usagi's eyes fell on something one the table close to Ami. Ami followed her gaze, and was surprised to see Usagi staring at the book she had been pouring over last night, before Eclipse made her move.

"Hey Ami, this book, it's all about mutations and biology and stuff, right?" Usagi asked, walking up to her. "But…do you really need it to make this anti-Eclipse chemical when you've got all of Mamoru's books?"

"Well, er, no. Not really, I suppose," Ami muttered in surprise. Had Hell itself frozen over? Was Usagi about to ask if she could…

"In that case, maybe I can borrow it!" cried Usagi, snatching it up. Ami was too baffled to utter a word of protest. When the weight of everyone's flabbergasted stares fell upon her, Usagi let out a nervous laugh and said, "I mean, it'll pay to stay informed about mutants and stuff, right? Can't be too prepared, after all. And with high school right around the corner, getting the jump on science class won't be a bad idea either." She let out another nervous laugh as she anxiously backed out of the makeshift laboratory, book still in hand.

The three of them just watched her go, too bewildered to say anything. Moments after Usagi left, Mamoru finally said, "Ami, did we all just see that? I mean, how complex is that book of yours?"

"Let me put it this way: we should start a betting pool for how long it takes Usagi to throw it down in frustration," Ami said flatly.

"Put me down for 2000 yen at high noon, three days from now," Michiru said coyly. But then, her flippancy vanished in an instant. "Still, I've noticed how flustered Usagi becomes whenever mutants come up. Could she possibly be one herself and is too ashamed to tell us?"

"No. The possibility occurred to me earlier, so I took the opportunity to thoroughly scan Usagi's DNA," said Ami. "By having Rei shove Usagi down a slope so she cut herself on some ice jutting out, but you didn't hear that from me. Anyway, she's got no active X-gene, so Usagi's clean."

"Then it's someone she knows, and she's guarding that secret, but wants to do more," Mamoru reasoned.

"We'll wait until Usagi feels it's the right time to tell us, if she ever does," said Michiru. "In the meantime, we have more pressing concerns." Another coldly logical proclamation from Michiru, but something told Ami there was more to Usagi's unease than anyone realized. And it might spiral out of control just like everything else.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Night had long since fallen on this side of the Earth, but there was more than darkness to rely on. For one thing, a massive array of clouds hung over the northernmost reaches of the Philippine Sea, providing excellent cover. In fact, they were about to descend through one such cloud. For a fleeting moment, there was an instinctive desire to brace himself, but it faded almost as soon as it came. He had been at this sort of thing for a long time, decades even. So whenever a moment of unease came during tasks that should come naturally, it was for the briefest of moments. Besides, the bubble of magnetic force that helped Eric Lehnsherr defy gravity and slowly make his way back to Earth's surface kept out the blinding water vapor for the most part. The cloud itself, the winds blowing in the night… Yes, his forcefield could easily shut out such things, just as he had to learn, whether willingly or reluctantly, to shut certain things out of his heart.

Soon enough, the force bubble shielding the three of them passed down through the cloud, no worries. It pleased Magneto to see that the two he had chosen betrayed no signs of unease either. Down to his right, the corpulent Frederick Dukes kept looking down at the yawning body of water below, exuding patience and even thoughtfulness for once. Quite unlike the carnival freak dubbed the Blob that Magneto ran into many years ago. Then again, the massive mutant had been at this sort of thing for a long time as well. The same could not be said of the younger mutant suspended by his magnetic power down at his left. Carmella Unuscione, even though her back was facing Magneto… He could sense her bloodlust as she gazed down at the water, anxiously awaiting their target to come into view.

Magneto couldn't keep himself from chiding the impatient young woman. "You must learn some patience, Unuscione. In order to avoid setting off the humans' accursed Magneto Protocols, I cannot risk going too fast as I use my powers like this," he reminded Unuscione. "Besides, with our current plans, time is a luxury we can afford plenty of. They are starting to bear fruit, but we must remain patient."

Unuscione's curly brown hair whipped around as she looked back up to Magneto with a sour expression, but said nothing. Unsurprising, given that she was one of the Acolytes, a gang of mutants that worshipped him with what bordered on fanatical devotion. Magneto still wasn't sure how he felt about that. Soon enough, though, she was gazing at the water again, and Magneto put such doubts at the back of his mind. Disciplining oneself to be patient was one thing, but allowing doubt was another, something he couldn't risk. Especially when, as he had told Unuscione, well over a year of plotting and patient manipulation could very well soon pay off.

But as for the short-term, payoff was right around the corner. As the water came up closer, so did their target. A single cargo tanker, headed for a port somewhere in southern Japan. Not that its destination really mattered at this point, despite being so close to the mainland. The ship itself would never make it the Land of the Rising Sun.

Of course, with his vast powers, Magneto could easily ensure this by simply lifting the entire tanker out of the sea, removing humans by force afterward. But no, for his long-term goals, it was necessary to do this in the reverse order. And knowing humans, with their propensity to give in to their fear of mutants and not closely analyze their actions until much later, forcibly casting the humans off the ship first would suit his needs nicely.

So the three mutants continued their methodical, silent descent toward the Japanese cargo ship. It was only a thousand feet or so below them now, then it was five hundred…

Of course, with the way energy crackled around his magnetic barrier, it would have been foolish to expect the humans on deck to not spot them until they touched down. Magneto heard frantic cries from the crew. Unuscione and Blob probably didn't understand what they were saying, merely salivating at the chance to crack some humans's skulls. Magneto, however, could make out some of their fearful outbursts. He had been making an effort to understand the Japanese language as of late, all part of his long-term plans.

But then, something surprised Magneto, even though he soon realized it was something he should have anticipated. The armed crewmembers had already opened fire, but Magneto couldn't fling the guns away. "Plastic guns even here," he muttered to Blob and Unuscione. "Those in the Land of the Rising Sun truly are on edge because of our kind." It was flattering, really, that these people anticipated a run-in with the Master of Magnetism. Still, it presented a minor complication, albeit one that could easily be remedied. "Blob, Unuscione, prepare to drop."

The two mutants nodded without even looking back up to him. And with that, Magneto dropped his forcefield and let them fall. To provide cover, Magneto willed the topmost cargo containers to topple over, forcing the humans on deck to scatter. Then Blob touched down, partially crushing one of the overturned containers with his bulk before jumping off to charge at the crew. Metal or not, immune to Magneto's powers or not, those weapons had no chance of penetrating Dukes's skin. With a menacing, jovial laugh, Blob dashed at the humans as their slugs bounced harmlessly off his blubbery hide. One wouldn't expect someone so massive to be so speedy, but Blob gleefully defied such expectations, swatting away humans with a laugh as he dashed past.

Meanwhile, Unuscione had extended her psionic exoskeleton into a pillar as she was falling. It telescoped as it touched the deck, slowing her fall, then she got right to work. Green energy crackled all around her; not only was her exoskeleton as handy as Blob's bulk for blocking gunfire, it could easily be weaponized. A few of the humans still standing after Blob's charge… Some rushed at her, other kept using their guns. Willing her extended exoskeleton to take the form of a huge fist, Unuscione toppled those humans foolish enough to charge her. Exoskeletal extensions in the form of tendrils lashed out at those who kept their distance, crackling with energy that scrambled their synapses. They crumpled in short order.

As Blob and Unuscione took care of business on deck, Magneto moved on to his objective. First off, he used his mastery over electromagnetism to jam all their communications. Granted, he _WANTED_ the humans on the mainland to know about this attack, but not yet. Let the news come as a slow trickle, for maximum impact later. After Magneto was satisfied that the humans couldn't radio for help, he swooped over to the bridge. Magneto barely noticed the gunfire bouncing harmlessly off his reestablished forcefield as he ripped himself open an entrance to the bridge.

Gunfire greeted Magneto inside the bridge as well. Though he couldn't affect their weapons, what good did that do these humans when their entire ship was _HIS_ weapon!? With a gesture, things as innocuous as hand railings took on a life of their own, ripping themselves free to wrap around attacking crewmembers, rendering them helpless. Floorboards coming alive to knock humans off their feet, sending them scrabbling for any escape, finished the job. Now that he had a moment of peace, Magneto turned his attention to the bridge controls. With only a thought and the clenching of his fist, all the machinery ripped itself apart in a dazzling array of sparks and flying parts. Now it was guaranteed that this ship wouldn't go anywhere except where Magneto desired.

So far, things were going smoothly, though the rest of the humans needed to be tracked down and rounded up. Those with any sense were already fleeing for the lifeboats, but there were always some humans who would be defiant to the end whenever mutants were involved. Just as some tried to ignore the inevitably of their extinction in the wake of more and more mutant children supplanting them every year, they tried to make a stand against mutants as some meaningless gesture. Well, that was part of the reason he was in and around Japan these days, to finally show humans the futility of such notions. And, hopefully, to show fellow mutants once and for all that hoping humanity would ever accept them was just as futile.

Smiling with satisfaction nonetheless, Magneto levitated himself out of the bridge and back onto the deck to check on Blob and Unuscione. As he feared, Unuscione was about to go too far, slowly crushing one crewman to death with a giant fist formed from her exoskeleton. Shaking his head, Magneto moved down to intervene, but amazingly, Blob did it for him. Unuscione was so wrapped up in shouting curses at the hapless human, spewing venomous hate that took even Magneto aback, she didn't hear Blob sauntering up behind her. With a flick of his finger, he bopped Unuscione on the head, making her disengage her psionic exoskeleton. She rounded on Blob as she rubbed her head, the crewman crumpling to the ground. Unperturbed, Blob just said, "You heard Mags, babycakes. Absolutely no killin'. We want all these Japs to make it back ashore. Besides, don't be greedy girl," Blob added with a nasty grin. "No need to take their lives." With that, he picked up the crewman Unuscione had been set to kill and threw him off the ship. "Just chuckin' the rubes overboard should be satisfyin' enough, don'tcha think?"

"And who says you've learned nothing over the years, Frederick?" Magneto asked coyly as he touched down near them, turning to Unuscione. "I will ignore this momentary transgression, Unuscione, so long as you and Dukes get to sweeping the decks below for any stragglers and making sure they're all removed from the ship." Then he added with extra emphasis, "Alive."

Still, despite hearing a direct order from the man she worshipped as mutantkind's savior, Unuscione protested. "Why not make an example of some of these human vermin, Lord Magneto, if the objective is to fan the flames of fear in Japan higher?"

"They already know full well the devastation mutants can unleash, especially me," said Magneto. "I've tried things that way, and it didn't always work out as I'd hoped. No, better a slow trickle of reports coming in, using quieter confusion more than outright terror."

"But you sure we want the Japanese knowin' about us particular mutants having plans at all?" Blob cut in. "I mean, didn't you say them Sailor Senshi finally got wind about the mutant the yakuza dubbed Eclipse? Ain't the last thing we want is those skirts sniffin' around where we don't want 'em?"

"What's wrong, Dukes?" Unuscione teased. "Afraid to tackle the Sailor Senshi? Their power may be a match for some mutants, but they're just children! How could…"

"Dukes has the right of it Unuscione, believe it or not," barked Magneto, finally silencing the young hothead. "Yes, these Sailor Senshi are just teenagers, but so were the original X-Men when Dukes and I first faced them. It would be wise to not underestimate them, even if we have intel that their own enemies probably were not privy to." Then he turned to the Blob. "But to answer your question, it's unavoidable now. We need what's on this ship, and we might as well use this attack to our advantage as part as psychological warfare. Things have progressed far enough so that even if the Sailor Senshi can deduce what it is we really want, it's probably too late. But just to make sure… What's the word from Mystique?"

Blob flashed an obnoxious grin. "Hangin' around in case there's another nudge needed here, a push there. The rest of the Brotherhood's ready to move out too, once Raven gets word from you."

Then Magneto rounded on Unuscione. "Make sure the rest of the Acolytes are also ready to move out on a moment's notice, once we return to Asteroid M. In the meantime, begin sweeping the decks." Thankfully, Unuscione no longer questioned her orders and headed for the nearest stairwell, the Blob following close behind. Magneto watched them go, then looked out across the waters. They looked relatively calm this night, belying the oncoming storm he was helping to bring about onto the island nation.

Yes, subtly paralyzing confusion would work much better than straight-up terror. No doubt the humans would wonder just why Magneto took the entire cargo ship. Hopefully, they would assume he just wanted it for raw materials, and if not, it would take them time to figure what one thing on the ship he had truly needed. Add to that all the humans he ensured would make it back to Japan. Each with a different account of what happened, each adding to the fear and confusion about mutants already plaguing Japan. Indeed, in the past, Magneto tried the direct approach often. Seizing a base and its nuclear arsenal, threatening the nations of the world with a device that let him manipulate volcanic activity… None of those worked out. It was time to try something else. And with that realization, Magneto smiled again as he looked out at the deceptively calm sea.

Only for it to fade when he sensed a disturbance. His helmet helped screen out the worst of telepathic assaults, but he was all too familiar with this power. "So, you're on the hunt too, old friend," Magneto called out defiantly. "Even if you can find this particular mutant with Cerebro, it's no use." Though it was Charles Xavier and his X-Men who had foiled most of his previous plans, he wasn't too worried about their interference this time. If anything, he was hopeful the disagreement that had long divided them would finally be resolved, though he regretted how it would tear out the heart of his old friend. Charles would insist that men and women, mutant and human alike, needed an ideal, a dream to strive for. _I'm sorry, old friend. You'd say the world needs dreamers to give it a soul. But the world needs people like me to splash cold water in the faces of those asleep. It needs realists like me to keep it alive,_ Magneto thought to himself. _You believe in the best in people, Charles. I can't afford such delusions. I've seen the worst._

Magneto watched the calm waters a bit longer before he jumped off the side, levitating down to help Blob and Unuscione sweep for stragglers. The sooner they wrapped things up so close to Japan, the better.Blob was righter than he knew before. The X-Men would no doubt interfere soon enough, yet it was actually Sailor Moon who was the more pressing threat. But Magneto had already prepared for that eventuality. Or rather, his newest ally had.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Usagi sighed as she followed Chibiusa out of the grocery store, beginning the long trek back home. It hadn't been a restful night. Between knowing some part of the Dark Kingdom survived and Ami's book hardly fitting the description of light reading, Usagi hadn't slept all that well. Now it was high noon, and the sun beat down on the two of them as they lugged paper bags stuffed with groceries. Funny how they were secretly superheroes who saved Japan from destruction time and again, but there was no getting out of mundane chores in order to earn an allowance. Something she wasn't exactly shy about complaining about. "Ugh, hunting mutants by moonlight, lugging groceries by daylight. Something that could only happen to us, huh?" Usagi grumbled, figuring the people passing by along the street were too absorbed in whatever they were doing to hear.

Not that Chibiusa still didn't use it as an opening to needle her. "Yeah, mention your night job so everyone on the street can hear. Brilliant, Usagi," Chibiusa spat. Usagi was about to fire off with a retort, but bit her tongue. No, she couldn't work up her usual fury over her future daughter's brattiness. This whole situation with mutants was just sucking away energy worse than any Cardian ever could.

The Sailor Senshi were supposed to be the guardians of love and justice, right? And yet, she had no idea what Sailor Moon could do to stem this rising tide of hate and fear. Having to hunt down a mutant made it worse. If they didn't corral Eclipse soon, things could spiral out of control even more. But the possibility that Eclipse had been a puppet of the Dark Kingdom who just happened to be a mutant, or possibly _BECAUSE_ she was a mutant… Little surprise that that perfectly logical assessment about why Eclipse had to be hunted down did nothing to assuage Usagi's unease.

"Whatever the situation, mutants come out the losers," Usagi muttered under her breath as they hauled their groceries down the street. If Chibiusa heard her, she gave no sign, continuing apace in front of her. Not that she would have anything useful to say, her brattiness aside. None of the other Senshi seemed to have any answers. Not even Ami and her Mamo-chan. They were the smartest among them, and knew plenty about genetics. But though they knew all about genetic mutations, they were at a loss regarding the problems those with X-genes faced. And even if they had some idea, Usagi still couldn't tell them about her biggest problem when it came to mutants. Her old friend turned out to be one, but not only was Usagi obligated to guard that secret, she could do little to console Naru without her knowing that she knew. It was such a stupid predicament, one that could only happen in Sailor Moon's messed-up double life.

But as Usagi's thoughts dwelled on mutants as she and Chibiusa headed back to the bus stop, something caught her eye. As they passed a restaurant with tables right outside, one of the patrons sitting at one sported a hair bow. One with a familiar green shade…

Usagi almost dropped her groceries when it registered in her mind. Looking back over her shoulder, there was indeed Naru Osaka, sitting alone at one of the tables, not looking at anything in particular. She was merely idly drinking from some can. Closer inspection revealed it was some sort of sport shake. _Well, no surprise there._ Usagi thought. _I mean, having super-strength as your mutant power means you'd need extra protein for muscle, wouldn't it?_ Not that Usagi could see whether Naru had really bulked up. She wore her green and black dress with long sleeves, the same one she wore the night Tiger's-Eye made his move and probably triggered her X-gene.

It took a moment for Naru to realize there was someone watching her. In an almost listless manner, she finally looked up, and her face didn't exactly brighten when she saw it was Usagi. Naru didn't say anything either, so Usagi took the initiative and broke the ice. "Wow, Naru, I didn't expect to see you out here!" cried Usagi, doing her best to put on her usual, cheerful persona. Just the fact that it wasn't coming naturally told Usagi she was more depressed about the whole Eclipse thing than she would've admitted to herself. "I mean, we haven't seen each other since school let out!"

"True, we…haven't," said Naru at length. Naru wasn't even trying to put up a cheery veneer. Those few words took visible effort to get out, and Naru clearly struggled to utter more. "So, did you… pass the last round of entrance exams, Usagi?" she got out, fumbling with the easiest question on the table.

Usagi nodded giddily. "Yeah, believe it or not, I passed! Dreading when my mom sees what's bound to be a score that barely cut it, though, but no big deal, I guess. I mean, we're off to high school in a month or so! So, do you have your new uniform yet? I bet you look really good in it!" Usagi was fumbling for something, anything to throw out there. Whatever she thought would take Naru's mind off inner turmoil Usagi could never truly understand.

"Yeah, well, I did get it, but haven't bothered to try it on yet," Naru said, sounding disinterested. "It's no big deal, anyway. It's just another uniform."

All hopes Usagi harbored that Naru's plight was getting better vanished in an instant. Months before, when her mutant powers had yet to surface, Naru had been as eager to earn the right to wear Juban High School's uniforms as Usagi. Usagi had figured that if she passed, Naru surely did too, and had at least that to look forward to. Now it meant less than nothing to her.

A fact that Chibiusa was all too happy to blurt out. "Really, Naru? Just about all the girls in your year were jazzed about getting into Juban High and getting those uniforms. Is something the matter?"

 _Yes, you little imp! Naru's a ridiculously powerful mutant in a country that's starting to hate her kind for no damned good reason, and it's eating her up inside!_ It took all of Usagi's willpower to not scream that at Chibiusa, and throttle her for good measure.

"I don't know, Chibiusa, I don't know," Naru replied nonchalantly. "I guess I'm…growing up. Realizing there's bigger things in life. I'm…kind of waiting for Umino right now. We've got something we've been doing together. A sort of workout routine, so…"

Naru was cut off by loud screams coming from the building next to the shop. The three of them looked over to see it was some sort of apartment building, and police clad in what looked like riot gear were pouring out. A crowd had also gathered in the brief moments Usagi had been talking with Naru, and a rather raucous one at that, shouting insults and threats. Usagi had no idea what all the animosity was about, but when she saw more police officers come out, dragging along a young girl with some sort of muzzle clamped over her mouth, she began to get a fairly good idea.

Chibiusa dropped her grocery bag suddenly, and Usagi looked down to see she was completely dumbstruck. "Th-Th-That's the girl form the news!" she spluttered out. "The mutant girl with ice breath." Usagi froze inside herself. This was the _LAST_ thing Naru needed to see play out right in front of her.

Another voice from behind them cut in. "Naru, I'm here! Oh hey, Usagi! Been a while since we've seen each other. And… Geez, what's with this crowd?" Usagi turned to see Umino walking up, carrying a duffel bag. In stark contrast to Naru, he looked hopeful and happy. But that slowly changed as jeering taunts about mutants reached his ears. Understandably, Naru was on her feet, watching with horror as things played out. Umino instinctively pulled her close, though of course if things turned ugly, Naru hardly needed protection. Thankfully, no one in the crowd suspected there was another mutant right behind them. Or looked at how tightly Naru was gripping the back of her chair. Usagi grit her teeth anxiously as she watched Naru inadvertently squeeze metal in her hand as if it were clay.

A scream from the terrified girl made Usagi's gaze snap back to the police cars. She watched helplessly as she was herded into a police car amid the jeers and taunts. But then, one voice dared to stand out. Daring to question what was going on. _Wait a minute, that voice sounds…familiar._

Usagi almost dropped her own grocery bag when she saw a brunette in a pink skirt suit actually accost one of the officers, demanding an explanation. "What's wrong with all of you!? She's only a child! What's she done!?" she spat, practically shaking the officer as she held him by the collar.

"You've got to be kidding me… Haruna Sakurada!" Naru cried, echoing Usagi's disbelief. Of all the people in Japan, Usagi never expected their grouchy English teacher to stand up for mutants.

The officer calmly grabbed Haruna's wrists and pried her off. "Ma'am, the store owners are pressing charges for wanton destruction of property and endangering customers. It's out of our hands."

"Which is ridiculous, of course. It's not like this kid _WANTED_ to hurt anyone from what I saw on the news," Umino muttered.

Haruna continued to vent, but another officer pulled her away as the car the girl was herded into finally pulled away. With the target of their anger gone, some in the crowd started hurling taunts at Haruna for daring to stand up for a mutant. If it got to Usagi's old teacher, she didn't show it. She showed more emotion when she spotted Usagi upon storming off. "Well then, Miss Tsukino, I…certainly didn't expect to run into my old students today. Shameful display, wasn't that? What's our country is coming to?" Haruna snarled, looking back as the rest of the police cars drove off, the crowd finally starting to melt away. "Please give me a bright spot for today. Please tell me you passed your entrance exams, girl."

"Uh, yeah," Usagi managed, nodding.

"Good. I've achieved something worthwhile in the last few years, then," Haruna said brusquely. "But to think, I spent so much time teaching in this country, just for some of my students to possibly be hauled away if they're born with some quirk. I'll tell you, Tsukino… If you or your friends here were born with superpowers, I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to use them to tear it all down." With that, Haruna stormed off, leaving Usagi in stunned silence.

When she turned back to Naru and Umino, the former was glaring at her. The most accusatory glare Usagi ever had directed at her. No words were spoken. None were needed. Naru's eyes said it all: _Why didn't YOU do anything!?_

 _She knows! She really does know!_ Usagi realized, horrified. Before, Usagi wondered if she was reading too much into things. Now, there was no doubt Naru truly suspected she was Sailor Moon. And there was no doubt she now expected Sailor Moon to do something, _ANYTHING_ , for Japan's mutants. Instead, Naru had watched the hero she once idolized stand there and do nothing. Their bitchy old English teacher just did more on behalf of mutants!

"Sorry Usagi, but Umino and I have to go," Naru said tersely, not sounding the least bit sorry. She reached for Umino's hand and pulled him along. Umino couldn't suppress a wince as a hand that could crush tempered steel dragged him away.

Usagi stood there for a moment, watching them go. So many months, being uncertain of how to approach Naru, to help her during this tough time. Now that task seemed next to impossible.

"Uh, Usagi? We'd better go if we want to catch the next bus," Chibiusa said sheepishly, tugging at her dress. Usagi could only nod dully, then follow Chibiusa to the bus stop.

 _I couldn't have done anything back there. I couldn't have gotten away from a crowd that size, transformed, and rushed back before that girl was hauled away,_ Usagi told herself during the ride home. _Besides, what could Sailor Moon do? She's supposed to bushwhack monsters, not the police!_ She kept finding ways to rationalize it during the bus ride. But though it all sounded perfectly logical… Usagi wasn't sure what was worse. Her disgust for those people taunting and threatening that girl, or with herself for having no idea what to do!

So after they got home and the groceries were put away, Usagi sort of just shuffled away without a word, heading back up to her room. Perhaps trying to read that book again would dull her brain just enough to make her forget how rotten she felt. But as she was about to go up the stairs, Usagi heard her father call out to her. "Usagi, dear, is something the matter?"

It wasn't just how she was obligated to never whisper a word about Naru's mutant powers. Usagi was in no mood to talk, period. Still, something deep within told Usagi she had to get at least _SOME_ of this burden off her chest, lest she explode. So with a tearful gaze, she turned back to her father. "Oh Dad, while we were walking back from shopping… A little girl got hauled away by the police, a mutant from what Chibiusa said!" Part of Usagi feared he'd agree with that, but though Kenji's expression seemed neutral, Usagi got the sense she could go on. "And there was a crowd, and they were saying horrible things! She was just a kid, probably not in middle school yet, and, and… Oh Dad, what's going on out there!? Why's everything blowing up in Japan all of a sudden!?" she finished tearfully.

Kenji's expression was level a moment longer, a bit stoic perhaps, but then Usagi saw his features soften. Empathy and genuine concern were etched on his face now, but his next words were surprisingly no-nonsense. "Usagi, come with me. I don't know if it will help, but there's something I believe you'll want to see."

Usagi had no idea what her father had to show that could help. But with Eclipse on the loose, Ami's plan to catch her days away from primetime and anti-mutant hysteria blowing up around Naru, Usagi was desperate for any answers. So she followed Kenji into his private office at home. Usagi hardly ever came in here, despite always being somewhat fascinated with her father's work. All the famous people he got a chance to meet, traveling all over the world at one point… In fact, when she went in, Kenji was staring at a framed newspaper article with a photo that looked like it was taken in another country. It showed men in military uniforms that were definitely not Japanese. And one man in particular, perhaps a general, was shaking hands with a younger man in some weird costume. He wore blue and yellow, along with some weird red visor. And there were three others with that same blue-and-yellow costume, along with…a man covered in chunky ice? And one of the other guys had wings? It suddenly clicked for Usagi. "Those five in that photo, they're mutants?" Usagi asked tepidly.

"Usagi, do you remember me telling you that when you were very young, I was an international reporter for a newspaper?" Kenji asked at length. Usagi nodded dully, not taking her eyes off the framed article. "Well, as fun as the job could be, I hated always being away from home, and my little girl. But thankfully, I was in the right place at the right time, and covered a story that won me a lot of awards. And with those padding my résumé, that pretty much guaranteed I could get any job I wanted, so I switched to a job for a magazine that let me stay here in Japan. But oftentimes, I find myself thinking back to this day that changed everything. For the entire world."

Usagi wasn't sure what her father meant by that, at least at first. But when she stepped closer to read some of the article, it began to dawn on her. She took the huge frame off the wall so she could read more closely. "This…was the day the whole world learned about mutants," Usagi muttered as she read.

"Indeed. A mutant named Eric Magnus Lehnsherr showed up, calling himself Magneto, and took over an American installation housing nuclear weapons," explained Kenji. "But he was driven off when a group of young mutants calling themselves the X-Men arrived. I still remember it like it was yesterday."

Usagi turned to stare at her father, wide-eyed. "You…were at the base when Magneto attacked!?"

"I arrived later, when the base's personnel were trying to break back in," said Kenji. "Just when it looked like they'd give up hope, those five appeared, using their powers in all their glory. They broke through Magneto's defenses, forced him to run, and stopped what could've been a nuclear holocaust. The world learned that day how dangerous mutant powers can be in the hands of those who'd abuse them, but also, there were those ready to use their mutant powers to protect all of us. It's…just a shame so many readily forget the latter."

Usagi looked back at the photo. These five…X-Men were probably hardly any older than her when the photograph was taken. "They…look so young," she thought aloud.

"They sure did back then," Kenji commented. ""In fact, looking back, they remind me of our very own Sailor Senshi. Five of them, coming out of nowhere, ready for a threat no one else knew existed and didn't really understand."

Usagi tuned that out and read some more, getting to the part that paraphrased most of what the X-Men's leader explained to the American general. Their goals, their hopes… "The X-Men aimed to make the world understand about mutants, that there were those willing to use their power for good," Usagi said. For the first time in days, a spark of genuine hope flickered within Usagi. "They…fought for love and justice. They really _ARE_ America's Sailor Senshi!"

"Well, that's how it looked at first," said Kenji as he crossed his office, taking a stack of magazines off a shelf. "But while those first five were probably all American, soon their ranks grew, and it was evident the X-Men scoured the world for new recruits. Take a look." Kenji opened up the topmost magazine and flipped through the pages. "I usually don't travel overseas anymore, but if I get a chance to see _THEM_ in action again…" Usagi looked at the photos. Flying high overhead while black clouds roiled, there was a dark-skinned woman with white hair, wearing garb that looked to be influenced by African culture. "The X-Men even come to Japan at times. Look here." Kenji flipped through a different magazine, until he stopped at a page that showed what was definitely a Japanese man, wearing a bright red bodysuit with white trim. "Shiro Yoshida, one of Japan's very own mutants, calls himself Sunfire. I don't think he was ever officially an X-Man, but he has been seen with them on numerous occasions."

 _So THIS is Sunfire!?_ Usagi thought incredulously as she stared at the magazine's photo. Then the rest of Michiru's words came rushing back. The mutant group Michiru couldn't recall the name of… It _MUST_ have been the X-Men! And this business about scouring the world for recruits… That old guy in the wheelchair that Rei saw, the machine he was using… Could that be how they did it? Was that wheelchair-bound guy their leader?

"So it's shameful to see many of our countrymen turn against mutants, when we have someone like Sunfire always being so proud to serve Japan," her father went on. "Not to mention the X-Men once helped Sunfire save our entire country once."

Usagi looked back up to him, blinking in surprise. "They saved Japan?"

"Well, I guess before the Sailor Senshi arrived, someone had to fill in," said Kenji with a smile. "Again, it's a travesty how so many forget this. Then again, very few in Japan follow the X-Men like I do. No offense to the Sailor Senshi, but I just find them fascinating. They're of no one country. They have recruits from all over the world, and go wherever they're needed, even though much of the world fears and hates their kind. It just takes an…uncanny purity of heart to do that sort of thing. I…don't know if this helps you, Usagi. But since you're so upset about mutants right now, I figured showing you all this might…bring a little hope, I guess."

It had done that and more. And this certainly didn't make her feel the Sailor Senshi's prominence was diminished. She and the other Senshi were already floundering in the face of these issues surrounding mutants. But now, Usagi knew there was another superhero team out there that probably knew _EXACTLY_ what to do!

"Dad, this does help. A lot!" squealed Usagi. "You say you've followed the X-Men all these years? Can I have, well… _EVERYTHING_ you've got on them? I…think I've got some more reading I need to do…" Kenji looked taken aback by his daughter's admission that she WANTED to do extra reading. But soon enough, he nodded and loaded Usagi's arms with even more magazines and papers.

Usagi barreled out of Kenji's office and dashed up the stairs. She plopped down on her bed, not noticing that Luna was resting at the foot of it, and with a surprised snarl Luna toppled over the edge.

"REALLY Usagi, a little warning!" spat Luna as she climbed back onto the bed. "What's gotten into you anyway?" The cat eyed all the magazines Usagi was sorting through and muttered, "Hmph, should've known you would've tossed aside Ami's book in short order in favor of some manga or whatever."

"Oh ye of little faith, Luna," Usagi fired back snarkily. "Just think of all this as…supplemental reading material."

"Supplemental reading material?" Luna repeated dubiously. "For what?"

Usagi didn't answer, already too absorbed into an article about the X-Men. A mutant superhero team that recruited youngsters from all over the world? That sounded _PERFECT_ for a depressed mutant who once dreamed of being a Sailor Senshi! Even if researching the X-Men yielded no answers about how to deal with Eclipse or anti-mutant hysteria in Japan, perhaps Usagi could at least make that happen for her old friend. Having the Juban High School uniform wasn't good enough now? Well, Usagi could see Naru proudly wearing one of those blue-and-yellow uniforms instead, ready to pound some bad guys! But how to find the X-Men and introduce them to Naru? That would be the tricky part…

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After three days, it was a mix of good news and bad news. The good news was that work on their anti-Eclipse chemical weapon was steadily progressing. With Mamoru and Michiru's continued help, there was a good change a working version would be ready for testing in a few more days. The bad news was that might not be soon enough. Haruka had been poking around, pumping everyone she knew with any links to the Japanese underworld for information, and made a startling discovery. The incident with the warehouse along the river had not been Eclipse's first attack. From what Haruka had gathered thus far, it was merely the first one that came to the public's attention. Eclipse had laid into other yakuza locales with a vengeance, but it had all been rather low-key before, only stimulating panic within yakuza inner circles. Considering what one of the accosted men at the warehouse spluttered out, that wasn't too surprising. But now it was clear Eclipse would surely strike again, and her antics were already catalyzing more anti-mutant panic. The Sailor Senshi had to be ready when Eclipse struck again, whether or not their chemical weapon was.

Still, despite all that, there were things Ami would not forego. Especially since, at the moment, there was little they could do until the current batch of chemicals finished catalyzing, which would take a few hours. That gave Ami ample time to keep her weekly ritual of playing chess with Berthier at the Chess Tower. She always found a game of chess helped with anxiety and get jumbled thoughts in working order. And to finish this weapon before Eclipse attacked again, she definitely needed her thoughts in order. Besides, Berthier was one of the few other people she could freely talk about this sort of thing with.

"So, it's a race against time to finish this chemical that short-circuits Eclipse's mutant powers, before she strikes again," Berthier said softly as she moved her queen across the chessboard, taking Ami's rook. "And because she's connected to an old enemy, you can't risk the authorities capturing her first, since you need answers."

Ami studied the chessboard, trying to plan her next move before answering Berthier. The former member of the Black Moon Clan was unusually bold with her moves today. There were many ways to neutralize her queen, but Ami had to be certain no traps were waiting to be sprung. "That, and if Eclipse pulls any more attacks out in the open, it'll feed into the current hysteria," said Ami, still gazing at the board. "According to Haruka, she's been active for weeks, but before, it was nothing that came to the public's attention like this."

"Ah yes, everyone's collective freak-out over these mutants," Berthier said with a chuckle that belied the coldness of her words. "It's getting to everyone, even us."

"The rest of your sisters?" Ami asked dubiously. "How so?"

"Need you even ask?" Berthier replied incredulously. "Even after purification, my sisters and I can hardly consider ourselves…normal. So when we hear customers talk smack about mutants, it…can cut deep. Sometimes I wonder if this new life of ours… Is it a sham? Selling cosmetics so other women can beautify themselves when they harbor such ugliness within? We all took a risk, went through purification, truly thinking things would be for the better if we made an effort to cast out the darkness and change. But to see the same darkness in 'normal' people… What if the truth about us ever comes out? Well, I can't speak for my sisters, but sometimes I wonder if I should ask Usagi if the purification can be undone. Just in case we need those powers again to defend ourselves from people who hate whatever's…different."

Ami wasn't concentrating on her next move anymore. How could she? All this time after they got through to the Ayakashi Sisters, none of them openly questioned their decision until now. As far as Ami knew, the threat of the Death Busters or the Dead Moon Circus never made them want their dark powers back. But this was different. The anti-mutant hysteria hit home for them. "Berthier, you can't be serious. You're just…letting the current climate get to you too."

Berthier's eyes narrowed. Icy blue eyes, and suddenly it was as if the old Berthier was back. "Am I?" she asked coldly.

Ami was speechless. Not only was the Dark Kingdom not completely defeated, but now other victories the Sailor Senshi long since believed were decisive looked to be coming undone. _As if I needed any more reminders we HAVE to rein in Eclipse,_ Ami thought acidly as she looked back down to the chessboard, trying to concentrate.

It proved futile. Berthier's daring with her queen proved more decisive than Ami realized. Ami hadn't expected it, and it put her at a disadvantage she saw no way to recover from. Within a few more turns, Berthier had her cornered. As Ami tried to find a way out, she saw Makoto walk onto the game floor, carrying a paper bag. Some more of the chemicals they needed for their anti-Eclipse weapon. Sighing, Ami tipped over her king piece. "Checkmate it is, then. Good game," said Ami, offering her hand.

To her relief, Berthier took it and shook. Not icy cold like her eyes still somewhat were. So the old Berthier wasn't exactly back after all. "Ah, but I'm still four games behind you, Ami. I do hope the current…situation is resolved. Catching up because you're…preoccupied would hardly be satisfying." Right before Makoto reached their table, Berthier added. "And a bit of advice, Ami. As you saw, sometimes one bold, decisive move can win the day, even if it looks too risky. Remember that."

"I'm sure she will, my dear" came an unfamiliar voice. "Perhaps I could trouble either you or your young friend for another game of chess?"

Ami wasn't sure why, but she felt anxiety rise as she turned toward the voice. What she saw was perhaps the last thing she expected to see here in the Chess Tower, let alone Japan. A rather burly man dressed in a sharp suit, but instead exuded refinement and brilliance despite his imposing physique. And despite blue skin, and blue fur that covered his hands and lined the features of his face.

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Seen _Logan_ yet? If not, the [SMA honk] is wrong with you? But maybe we should talk about _Power Rangers_ instead, since it's so similar to _Sailor Moon_ and its source material even comes from the same company that owns the media rights to our favorite clueless, bubbly heroine. Well, it was certainly a surprise. Just like _Godzilla 2014_ , all the stuff you really came to see is saved for the very end. Much more effort was put into making you care more about the characters, first and foremost. It doesn't reach the height of _Avengers_ , but it bitch-slaps everyone behind _Fant4stic_ and screams, "THIS is how you set up a gritty-ish character-driven superhero origin story in a single movie, dumb[SMA honk]s!" It's the same reason why _Rise of the Planet of the Apes_ shut the pessimists right up: making you want to spend time with the characters, leaving the snazzy action at the end as a bonus. Let's hope that if _Sailor Moon_ ever makes it to the big screen, the people behind it do the same damn thing.

So long,

Grey-X


	5. Mental Chess Games

Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 5: Mental Chess Games

4-15-2017

By Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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The last few days had gone by relatively peacefully. No further sign of Eclipse attacks, and the rest of the Senshi had either begun the slow, ponderous work of developing that chemical weapon to neuter her powers or digging for any useful information. Unfortunately, Makoto had no role to play in either effort, and the waiting was becoming torturous, her patience nearly sapped. That was part of the reason she was personally delivering this next batch of chemicals Ami and Mamoru needed. Oh sure, she could do some more kung fu training to pass the time. But a fat lot of good getting physical did with Eclipse. Makoto only got her hands on her thanks to a lucky break. In any other circumstance, that oil slick would stop her cold. And if Ami's concoction worked the way everyone hoped, there would be no need to bring the lightning down.

Feeling useless was bad enough, but bearing witness to the festering fear brought on by Eclipse's attack made the waiting even worse for Makoto. No one was sure what Eclipse's motive was, or even _WHO_ she really was. Even if the Sailor Senshi knew the whole story, it wasn't like they had a way to broadcast such information. And would the people of Japan believe them? People these days seemed ready to assume the worst about mutants in general. Something exacerbated by reports of the mutant terrorist known as Magneto being responsible for the theft of a cargo ship in the seas directly south of Japan. Magneto… Makoto had heard that name, and this one mutant sure made other people fearful, but the mention of super-powered villains didn't exactly make Sailor Jupiter quake in her boots. She was resolved to be made of sterner stuff.

So it came as a surprise to Makoto when anxiety welled up within her when she saw that big blue fuzzy…thing saunter up to Ami and Berthier's table. Makoto had already reached it when he called out to them. Ami was already on her feet, probably thinking the same thing Makoto was. _So Eclipse isn't alone. The Dark Kingdom still has youma, and they've zeroed in on us!_ Through gritted teeth, Makoto hissed to Ami, "Ami, I'll hold him off here while you go and transform…" But Ami didn't move, as if she were rooted to the spot. _What the hell… She can't be THAT terrified of this fuzzball!_

But when Makoto looked over to Ami, the answer started to become clear. That look on Ami's face… Makoto knew it well. Well, sort of. It was strikingly similar to how people described the look on Makoto's face whenever she saw a guy that reminded her of the upperclassman that dumped her.

With a suddenness that took Berthier and Makoto aback, Ami bridged the few meters that separated her from that…fuzzy guy, spluttering something in English. Makoto wasn't entirely sure, but judging from the look on that blue guy's face, Ami was spouting utter gibberish as she took one of his huge hands in hers. Out of all the people Makoto knew, Ami was one of the best with the English language. But she was so enamored with this fuzzball, something must've short-circuited in her brain, bringing her expertise down to Makoto's pitiful levels.

The blue fuzzy guy smiled warmly, however, placing his free hand on Ami's. "I am touched that you wanted to welcome me in my native language, my dear, but it's quite unnecessary. I'm perfectly comfortable speaking in Japanese for the duration of my stay in your lovely country," he said. And he wasn't kidding. Though he definitely sounded like he came from America, he spoke Japanese as if he was born and raised here.

Ami could only nod, still exuding bubbly giddiness that would make Usagi look lethargic in comparison. "Berthier, Makoto, this is… Dr. Henry McCoy. He's…one of the world's leading authorities on biochemistry and genetics! I've devoured every one of his books and papers. He's…a genius, plain and simple!"

It slowly dawned on Makoto. This…Dr. McCoy was no youma working for Eclipse, but simply another mutant. One that happened to share Ami's IQ level and hair color at that. But even as Makoto felt her anxiety melt away, Makoto couldn't help but wonder if there was more to McCoy's mutation than being big and blue. And she felt some anxiety creep back after seeing how other people at chess tables were giving the American biochemist furtive looks. Thankfully, it seemed McCoy was well-known not just among brainiacs like Ami, so his presence would at least be tolerated.

"Ah yes, I've…heard of our big, blue, brilliant biochemist here," said Berthier sweetly. "You'd have to be living under a rock not to." That old desire to pound Berthier senseless was coming back for Makoto.

"Likewise for Ami Mizuno here," said McCoy. Ami blushed, flabbergasted that McCoy knew her name. "I converse frequently with many of the top professors from the most prestigious universities back home. Let me tell you a significant number would _KILL_ for an opportunity to recruit one of Japan's brightest rising stars for overseas study." Makoto didn't think it was possible, but Ami blushed an even deeper shade of crimson. Turning his attention to Ami herself, McCoy said, "So imagine my surprise when I saw you here. I came into this Chess Tower, hoping to pass some time during my foray in the Land of the Rising Sun. Oh, it would make so many back home envious, an opportunity to see firsthand how the mind of the fabled Ami Mizuno works! So, could I trouble you for an extra game, my dear?"

Ami nodded excitedly, too giddy for words. Berthier looked over them as they arranged the chessboard. "It's like a match made in heaven, right down to the hair color," she said sweetly with a broad grin. Ami and McCoy just glared at her, which did nothing to dent Berthier's friendly veneer.

Makoto watched as the game began, Ami simply moving one of her white pawns up two spaces. "So, why did you fly all the way to Japan, especially at a… Forgive my bluntness, but at such a sensitive time for mutants? You mentioned recruiters from American universities. Is that your reason?"

McCoy chuckled a little. "In a manner of speaking, perhaps, that's one reason I'm here. Not that I'm tenured at any Ivy League school that could interest you, Ms. Mizuno. It's more of a…low-key institution."

Having long since realized this McCoy guy was no threat, Makoto soon lost interest in their conversation. The whole point of coming in here was to hand-deliver these chemicals to Ami. If this Dr. Henry McCoy was just as smart as Ami, she'd be here for quite some time. And it's not like she was in the mood to play chess herself.

That didn't stop someone from suggesting it. "I see I'm not the only one who tagged along with a blue-haired, super-genius friend, and now has absolutely nothing to do," came a girl's voice, directly behind Makoto.

Makoto's eyes widened, wondering how someone could've snuck up right behind her without her noticing. Turning around, she saw what looked like another American, wearing a simple, white boatneck shirt and tight blue jeans. A few centimeters shorter than her, but sported a similar shade of auburn hair, though her eyes were brown instead of green. It was even done of in a ponytail similar to hers. She looked to be perhaps two or three years older than her, but having a few years on her didn't account for this aura of…intensity and maturity that the girl exuded.

"Uh, you could say that," Makoto said sheepishly.

"Well then, while we wait for our respective friends to finish discussing every recent paper dealing with genetics and biology, how about we pass the time with a game of chess ourselves?" said the girl with a coy smile.

Sighing and shrugging her shoulders, Makoto said, "Might as well, it's not like I have anything else to do here. Not that I'm very good at chess anyway."

"I don't play all that much either," the girl admitted as she took a seat. "Anyway, I didn't catch your name," she added as she began arranging the chessboard, the dark pieces on her side.

"Er, it's Makoto Kino," she answered anxiously. Why was she still so anxious? The super-intelligent, super-strong mutant was at the other table, and he wasn't the least bit hostile. How could she subconsciously think this girl was the bigger danger?

"Kitty Pryde," said the girl, offering her hand across the table. Makoto shook it, and the two sat down. Since Makoto had the white pieces, she knew the first move was hers. She moved a pawn up two spaces, then said, "You know, both you and Dr. McCoy… It's amazing how well the two of you speak Japanese. I keep hearing how Americans usually don't speak a second language all that well, but it's like you two grew up here."

Kitty giggled a little as she moved one of her pawns. "I sound American to you? Good to know. I spent…quite some time in the United Kingdom, and sometimes I wonder if a bit too much rubbed off on me."

 _Sort of like Minako,_ Makoto thought to herself as she pondered her next move. _No, I'm looking too much into things…_

"As for my fluency in Japanese, let's just say I had an…unorthodox tutoring regimen," Kitty went on. "It's part of the reason I volunteered to travel with Dr. McCoy on his little business trip."

Makoto finally decided to go big early and move one of her knights. "So you're a student of his?" asked Makoto.

"In a manner of speaking, I suppose," said Kitty, moving another pawn. "Hank's not the one who tutored me in Japanese in case you're wondering, but…I do look up to him. Which is why I intend to watch his back while he's here. All this anti-mutant sentiment burbling to the surface…"

Makoto had reached for another of her pawns, but stopped dead upon hearing those words. Makoto wasn't sure why they cut so deep. It wasn't like Americans had any room to criticize the Japanese, not with the hostility mutants already faced on the other side of the Pacific. Looking up into Kitty's eyes, though, Makoto got a sense of why she felt such unease. It was the _VEHEMENCE_ in those words. Those eyes told Makoto this little American girl had the means to make anyone who dared raise a finger against Dr. McCoy pay dearly, just like how Makoto had thumped plenty of would-be bullies who threatened Usagi and Ami. How? Was she a mutant herself? If so, what was her power?

Taking a deep breath, Makoto moved her pawn. The next few moves between them passed in silence. Though Makoto managed to take one of Kitty's pawns and bishops, Kitty had captured three of her pawns and the knight she moved early, and was poised to take more. Kitty was far smarter than she had let on.

"Anyway, back to the subject of mutants. I hear Magneto made a move disturbingly close to Japan," Kitty said suddenly as Makoto contemplated her next move. "Do you think the Sailor Senshi know, and will get involved?"

"I…guess so," Makoto muttered, trying to tune Kitty out. This Magneto guy was of no concern at the moment, unless he uprooted Tokyo Tower or something. Eclipse was the only mutant the Sailor Senshi were focused on.

As if Kitty had just read her mind, she went on. "And speaking of the Sailor Senshi, I heard they tried to stop this attack by this other mutant people are calling Eclipse. Do you think they're still on the hunt?"

Makoto couldn't help but look up, eyes widening. Kitty was smirking at her, fumbling with Makoto's captured bishop. It was becoming abundantly clear that Kitty had suckered her into a chess match she was ill-suited for. Now it also felt like Kitty was pumping her for information that hit _WAY_ too close to home. "I-I-I… How would I know? The Sailor Senshi… No one really knows who they are or where they came from. I guess they have their own reasons for doing things. If they want to hunt down Eclipse, it's their business." Sighing, Makoto finally decided to move her rook up a few spaces.

Only for Kitty to instantly snatch it up with her own bishop. Makoto silently cursed herself for missing that. As bad as she was at chess, there was no excuse for that boneheaded move! Then again, Kitty was doing a marvelous job of getting inside her head, waging a battle on two fronts. This was why Makoto preferred a straight-up fight with fist and foot. But now, she had been lured into a two-pronged attack she was ill-suited to fend off. "I suppose the Sailor Senshi would want Eclipse corralled, given the hysteria she's fueling," Kitty went on. "As guardians of love and justice, don't you think the Sailor Senshi would want to make sure this climate of fear doesn't get any worse?"

There was no explaining it away now. Kitty somehow _KNEW_ who she and Ami really were, or at least suspected, and was using this opportunity to milk her for information. As sweat began to bead on her forehead, Makoto looked over to the other table. Ami would be no help. She still looked positively giddy to be playing chess with one of her heroes, and thus would be giving up information freely, without realizing it! Then there was the added injury of seeing Ami hardly had any of her pieces captured.

Makoto looked back to Kitty, smiling as she patiently awaited Makoto's answer and her next move. Usually when Makoto felt this helpless, it was because someone like Kunzite or Nehelenia had all the Sailor Senshi dead-to-rights. But now, she was boxed into a corner by someone who, even if she had superpowers, had no need to use them. It looked like what Ami had mentioned about Rei and Michiru's suspicions was dead-on. Mutants from another part of the world were coming for Eclipse. Coming? No, they were already here, zeroing in on the only other people who could possibly get to Eclipse first.

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In the days that followed her disastrous attempt to locate Eclipse with her spiritual powers, Rei hadn't quite worked up the courage to try again. The others hadn't exactly pressured Rei to make another attempt, insisting that Haruka and Minako digging around would soon get them answers. Still, Rei found it galling, her one means to contribute to the hunt of Eclipse now too dangerous to use.

No, not exactly dangerous. It was just that Rei was too scared. THAT was the galling part. All the would-be apocalyptic harbingers that the Sailor Senshi had taken down over the years, but the thought of encountering this one telepath again chilled Rei to the bone. Not just any telepath, according to Mamoru. He and Michiru suspected it could be a mutant telepath, who tended to have frighteningly vast power.

Perhaps THAT was what was most galling about her fear. When the Sailor Senshi first gathered after Eclipse's attack, Rei sort of scoffed at those who had faced her, thinking their firsthand accounts of her powers were exaggerated. Now Rei had firsthand experience of how terrifying being on the receiving end of mutant powers could be, and she couldn't shake that fear. Did that…make Rei no better than all the people losing their heads after Eclipse's attack, and then Magneto's in the seas to the south? It was bad enough after the former made the news, but when crewmembers on that cargo ship made it back ashore, it catalyzed that infectious fear of mutants even more. And here was Sailor Mars herself, a supposed guardian of love and justice, unable to shake what happened with her own encounter with a mutant.

And so, with the sun directly overhead, Rei sat on the wooden steps right in front of the shrine. Ami was off doing her weekly chess match with Berthier. Michiru was paying a visit to an art museum that curated a good deal of her paintings, in the hopes of swiping a few more chemicals that couldn't be bought in a store, and Mamoru couldn't risk swiping from his university. Mamoru himself was still here at the shrine. At least one of the three had to stay behind while certain concoctions were catalyzing, and he would be busy sifting through books to make sure the final product was up to snuff. That effectively left Rei quite alone, with no one to talk to.

At the moment, that suited Rei just fine. At least she could catch up on reading some manga without Usagi butting in and asking to borrow them before she was done. Usagi borrowing books… She _STILL_ couldn't imagine Usagi willingly trying to read a super-thick book meant for graduate students, but Ami, Michiru and Mamoru insisted they weren't pulling her leg. Rei would've still liked to have known why Usagi was so obsessed with mutants, but whatever. At least she was confident that her wager for the betting pool would net her quite a bit of yen…

So while Usagi was making what brain cells she had go into overdrive, Rei flipped through a manga that would probably give her even more headaches than Ami's book would give Usagi. It was American manga. Hard enough having to read from left to right, but then there was the fact that it was in English. A pain in the ass, but Rei needing something to distract her. So after finding yet another unfamiliar word in the very next panel, Rei grabbed her dictionary and flipped through it.

"C-C-Clobbering?" Rei muttered, looking back at the panel with the big guy covered in orange rocks, pounding some guy in armor and a green cloak. "It's clobberin' time? Well, I guess as far as catchphrases go, that's less of a mouthful than, 'In the name of Mars, I chastise you!'"

As she turned the page, doing her best to read more without resorting to the dictionary, Rei wrinkled her nose. It was still spring, but the air was certainly dry today. So without really thinking, she began scraping away just under her nostrils. But then, she became painfully aware of what she was doing when…

"Oh that's certainly behavior becoming of a shrine maiden," someone right in front of the shrine suddenly said, catching Rei by surprise. Rei's eyes widened, both from shock and from that shock making her fingernail drag across her nose's septum. Covering her face in her hands as she waited for the stinging to die down, trying her damnest not to sneeze, Rei looked over her fingertips at her unwelcome guest. He was…interesting to say the least. He had Caucasian features, possibly from America, but his Japanese was perfect, as if he had grown up immersed in the culture. He also…wasn't very tall. If he was any taller than her, it would be by mere centimeters. He also had a scruffy look to him. Not just the mutton chops and the black hair that seemed pulled back to make him resemble an owl, but the clothes in general. The faded jeans, the motorcycle jacket that looked like it had been through some rough times, the cigar in his mouth… There was an aura of fierceness to him, almost of savagery. Yet when the man smiled at him, something told Rei the warmth was genuine. "Then again, who am I to judge, bringing this up to a shrine?" he added mirthfully, taking his cigar and stuffing it into a tube for later.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I guess I wasn't expecting…guests at the shrine at this hour," Rei said quickly with a laugh. She tossed aside her manga and stood bolt-erect, trying to regain as much dignity as she could. Though in the back of her mind, she wondered how this guy could've gotten so close without her sensing him. Distracted as she was, she should've gotten some inkling that a guest was approaching the shrine. "I-I-Is there something you need?"

"Hmmm, nothing in particular," he said, looking over to a cherry blossom tree. Rei also noticed he was sniffing the air rather pointedly. "I've never exactly been accused of being a…spiritual person. But it's been some time since I've been to Japan, seen a shrine like this. There's always a sense of quiet to them, of peace. Something I can use once in a while." The genuine warmth was still there, but Rei could sense the twinge of sorrow behind those words.

"So, you _HAVE_ been to Japan a lot before," said Rei. "I was wondering about that. You speak Japanese better than any American I've ever met."

The man simply chuckled a little. "The name's Logan, and yeah, I get that a lot. But I'm actually Canadian, not American."

That inner sorrow was bleeding through more clearly now. The last time someone in Japan told him that, it must have been a painful time. Or maybe it came from someone important to him, someone who was… Deciding to change the subject, Rei quickly said. "Well, my name's Rei, Rei Hino. Logan, if there's anything I can do for you while you're visiting our shrine…"

Logan smiled again, but this time, a bit of guile was mixed in with the warmth, and something told Rei she now had to be on her guard. "Actually, there is something I'd like to ask about. Something you can do."

"Well then, name it," said Rei, still trying to sound eager.

"I may not look it right now, but believe it or not, I'm here in Japan on business," said Logan. Rei suppressed a snort. It was true, Logan certainly didn't look like any Westerner here in Japan on serious business. "I got an old buddy who runs a school, a school I still hang around."

"So you're…a teacher?" asked Rei.

"Sort of…I guess," said Logan. "I usually step up when a substitute is needed somewhere on campus."

"A substitute teacher, then," said Rei. "What do you teach?"

"First and foremost, I teach kids how to survive," Logan replied, and now there was a dangerous edge to his voice. Logan didn't elaborate further on what he meant by 'survive', and something told Rei it would be a mistake to press him on that. "And we're always looking for new students. Not just back in Westchester, New York, but all over the world."

"Oh, so you do LIVE in America. I got that part right, at least," said Rei. She was trying to keep up the appearance of small talk, but faint alarm bells in Rei's mind were ringing. "What…kind of school is it?"

"A private outfit. Called the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. Me and the headmaster, Charlie, we go way back," Logan went on. "I'm here with one of his first students who's gonna attend some conference of whatever. So I figured it's a good a time as any for a recruitment drive, given how familiar I am with Japan."

"And…you've come to a Shinto shrine to do it?" Rei asked, trying to not sound demanding. "I…don't see how I can help. It…isn't exactly a busy time of year for us."

"Because people come to your shrine for guidance, I'll bet," said Logan. "Especially young people, who can feel confused and isolated. Especially if there's something about them that makes them feel…different. If you know what I mean." Those warning bells, buzzing like a mosquito before, were now a blaring klaxon rattling Rei's skull. "I bet people talk to you, are willing to trust you."

Rei let out a nervous laugh. "Well, I'm not too sure about that. I got this reputation of being a weirdo myself. Not too many complete strangers would be willing to open up to me, I'm afraid." There was a good deal of truth in that, and Rei's instincts told her that was vital. Something told her that Logan was nobody's fool, and could easily spot an outright lie.

There was that pointed sniffing from Logan again, and then he said, "Still, there must be some who'll be looking for _ANYONE_ they can confide in. If you know anyone like that already, or if any kids in need come by in the next few days while I'm in Japan, make a mental note for me, will ya? I'll…be seeing you again, Rei. Meanwhile, I got some other places to hit" He flashed that oddly genuine smile again, then turned to begin his trek down the stone steps, leaving Rei confused and alone herself. Oh yes, right then she was taking mental notes, just not the ones Logan really wanted…

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It had been bad enough a few days ago, seeing that whole mess with a young mutant girl barely hitting puberty being hauled off, with so many idiots _CHEERING ON_ that harsh treatment. But as Chibiusa scanned the headline of the newspaper she had just taken out of the mailbox, she felt ill all over again. This was the second day in a row Magneto's attack made the front page, and there was no doubt this would fan the flames of hysteria even more.

Just the fact that Magneto was hitting so close to home chilled Chibiusa to the bone. There was good reason for normal people to be scared of _THIS_ mutant. Chibiusa remembered Erik Magnus Lehnsherr from her history lessons. In terms of raw power, Magneto was in Nehelenia's weight class, at least. But as she skimmed the article, practically sensing the hate and fear the inflammatory writing would catalyze, a more horrifying thing occurred to Chibiusa. Her history lessons told of Magneto favoring direct approaches, such as overtaking an entire missile base. But from the present time she was in, that was already many years ago. Had Magneto adjusted his tactics by now? Did he _WANT_ to purposely instigate anti-mutant sentiment, as part of a larger geopolitical scheme?

Chibiusa felt she should talk to some of the other Senshi about this, but most were busy with the effort to take down Eclipse. Unless Rei had worked up enough nerve to try locating Eclipse again via her spiritual power, only the cats, Makoto and Usagi were available. Chibiusa reflexively scoffed at the notion of choosing the last one. De facto leader of the Sailor Senshi she may be, but discussing a new enemy's complex psychological warfare would be beyond her ditzy future mother.

 _Then again, maybe not,_ Chibiusa considered as she strolled back into the house. _She's been cramming more reading into these last few days than I remember seeing her do for that last batch of entrance exams! And according to Kenji-papa, it's mostly about the X-Men!_ Magneto's old enemies, the X-Men… Another thing Chibiusa remembered from her history lessons. In direct contrast to how Magneto spread terror and preached about mutant dominance, the X-Men tried to be the light of hope where mutants were involved. And for whatever reason, they had given Usagi a ray of hope when it came to…whatever was on her mind. Chibiusa scowled, remembering Usagi was clearly keeping secrets from the other Senshi. Given how she had kept the secret about Pegasus for so long, however, she was in no position to judge.

Given all the things preoccupying Chibiusa, she almost didn't hear Shingo talking on the phone with someone. "So, you'll be free later this afternoon? Fine Mamoru, I'll let my sister know," he said before hanging up.

"What was that about?" Chibiusa asked as she tossed the paper on the kitchen table. She had read enough to give her nausea the rest of the day. Perhaps a week.

"Just Usagi's boyfriend wanting Usagi reminded about meeting him in the park today," said Shingo. "Any idea where she is?"

"Last I checked, she was still here at home, reading all that stuff Kenji-papa gave her," said Chibiusa. "Plus that other book of Ami's."

Shingo colored a little at the mention of Ami, but soon a scowl crossed his face. "My idiot sister, reading of her own volition," he spat, right before laughing. "There's got to be another angle to this."

Despite her exasperation with Usagi lately, Chibiusa strangely felt the need to stick up for her. "Oh come on, Shingo. I think she's really serious about…whatever's gotten into her."

"Oh please, Chibiusa," scoffed Shingo. "This is Usagi we're talking about. Even if she genuinely wants to learn something, she'll find a way to make herself look even dumber..."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Usagi had already devoured every article her father saved dealing with mutants and the X-Men, in between attempts to make sense of that ridiculously thick book of Ami's. Thanks to that, she was at least familiar with the team of misunderstood mutant superheroes, and knew a little more about the genetics behind their superpowers. Usagi felt she would retain more about genetics from reading those articles than she did from cramming for the entrance exams. And it was encouraging, knowing the Sailor Senshi were definitely not the only superhero team out there. The Senshi had their own battles to face, and so did the X-Men. So even without the need to help Naru spurring her on, Usagi got a sense of real excitement upon learning more about these X-Men.

But with all the stuff from the magazines depleted, there was no choice but to go back to that book, which Usagi dreaded. She had knocked maybe a third of it in between reading magazine articles, at best, but Usagi pressed on, convinced more answers awaited within. Or at least, a better understanding of what Naru faced, and how to help her with it.

And so, Usagi sat, face scrunched up as she concentrated with book in hand. Most of the words were still a blur, all this stuff clearly beyond her. Yet she would not let this book get the better of her. If it caught Ami's eye, it had to have some answers. So she kept scowling, gritting her teeth as the words on the page blurred, almost mocking her, and then…

Usagi sighed in relief as she heard a soft thud beneath her. She was still wearing her bunny pajamas even as noon came about. It was quite a lazy day, given she had no real part to play in taking down Eclipse, except for aiming the Ginzuishou at her once she was brought to heel. Lazy enough of a day, then, for Usagi to spend time reading Ami's book while on the toilet. "There, now that that's taken care of, time to finally figure out just what the heck 'epigenetics' means…"

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Many had criticized Haruka over the years for being what some would call a 'glass half-empty' person, especially the Inner Senshi themselves. At the moment, Haruka was starting to see why. Her digging around to elucidate just what was going on with Eclipse and Tokyo's underworld did yield some results in the last few days. Most disconcerting is that Eclipse had been active for some time, with the Sailor Senshi just getting wind of the bloodthirsty mutant. Yet Haruka hadn't found anything much more concrete than that. What was Eclipse after? Was she some sort of vigilante, wanting to clean up the streets of Tokyo? If so, she was doing a terrible job. Taking out entrenched yakuza would require surgical precision of a scalpel, not whacking away with a hatchet. If anything, Eclipse just made things _MORE_ discordant. Leaving power vacuums for other groups to fill, inevitably leading to increased tensions and soon clashes among rival yakuza groups as they tried to cope with the chaos…

But perhaps _THAT_ was part of Eclipse's plan. Purposely make it so conflict between rival gangs would spill out so that…something something something. Perhaps it was to help ensure rival yakuza groups would war with each other, to let Eclipse or someone else step in later and assume control. Or it was some other convoluted chess game Haruka couldn't quite understand yet. So many angles to view it from, so little solid information to go on. It slowly dawned on Haruka that this sort of detective work just wasn't her thing. Later, she'd have to pull Michiru away from that little chemical lab and discuss it with her. She was the artist, the creative one. Perhaps Michiru could spot whatever she was overlooking.

Yes, Haruka would do that tonight. Besides, Michiru was spending more than enough time with Ami and Mamoru already. She had a few more old friends she could talk to before meeting up with Michiru tonight. There was still the matter of what was so important about that warehouse along the river that was most certainly a yakuza front. In the meantime, Haruka desperately needed something to clear her head. Something that would also make her forget her frustration.

And nothing could accomplish both quite like besting Minako at an arcade racing game yet again.

"Damn damn damn damn DAMN!" Minako cried out as she repeatedly bashed her head against her steering wheel. "So close this time… So close so close so CLOSE!" Artemis was perched on the back of her chair, and couldn't help but facepaw.

Haruka bottled in the laughter itching to break out, but couldn't suppress a big, satisfied grin. "Indeed. You're _ALMOST_ fast enough to keep up now. Too bad your method of collecting intel isn't nearly as fast…" Haruka jeered. Minako had hit up her old Interpol contacts days ago, but was still waiting for them to dig up anything pertinent about the warehouse, or recent yakuza activity in general.

"Give Katarina time," Minako snarled, turning to glare at Haruka. "She and the others… They'll get the information we need. Not like your street racing buddies knew off the top of their heads what the yakuza were up to along the river…"

"Not so loud," both Haruka and Artemis growled through gritted teeth.

"Oh yeah, like some freaky mutant is going to be listening in here in the arcade," Minako spat back. Then she held up another token, eyes full of fire and determination. "Alright Haruka, this is it. One last game!" Minako declared challengingly.

"And once our racing queen has her way again, may I have the pleasure of the next?" came an unfamiliar voice all of a sudden. One with a peculiar accent.

Haruka, Minako and Artemis turned around to see a rather tall, brown-haired man standing right beside Haruka's seat, smiling at all of them. He definitely wasn't from Japan, having Caucasian features. Perhaps he hailed from America, though it was hard to tell from his weird accent. Haruka couldn't tell much from his garb, either. Just a pinkish-red T-shirt and jeans, with a big, open brown longcoat over all that. He wore his hair a little long; it traveled down to the base of his neck, plus he had a bit of stubble all around his face.

All in all, Haruka supposed this man would come off as charming for some, with an appearance like that and such a warm smile. _Hmmm, I'm guessing I would find this guy incredibly attractive if I was straight,_ Haruka thought to herself. For confirmation, Haruka looked back to the other arcade seat. Sure enough, Minako was totally enraptured, goggling at the stranger with pulsing hearts in her eyes. _Knew it…_ Haruka thought with a groan.

"C'mon Remy, do we really have time for this?" someone else suddenly asked, walking up to the first stranger. This guy was definitely American from the sound of his voice. He was a little shorter than the first man, and sported short hair a few shades darker than Haruka's blond hair. His dress was also a lot plainer than the other guy's rogueish appearance, with jeans and a button-up shirt.

"Since when're you such a stickler, Bobby boy?" said the one called Remy, turning that smile on his friend. "We be here in the Land of the Rising Sun on business, Bobby, but that don't mean we can't take any…detours, oh no. I think we can take some time out for a little…fun."

Haruka simply listened to the two of them, still trying to place Remy's accent. It sounded…sort of French. But what began to strike Haruka as far more peculiar was how they spoke Japanese, not anything odd in their accents. On one hand, they spoke the language more or less perfectly, except for a bit of weirdness in Remy's grammar here and there. Yet there was still something…off when they spoke. Haruka couldn't quite place a finger on it. These two didn't exactly look the stuffy, scholarly type. On the contrary, they were brimming with personality, but there was also something a tad robotic in their voices while otherwise speaking Japanese as if they had grown up in the island nation.

"Well, you got me there," Bobby replied. Then he looked past Remy to Haruka, who more or less just glared back. There was the light of recognition in his eyes, and it made Haruka a bit uneasy. "And I'm pretty sure I recognize your face from somewhere."

"As you should, Bobby," said Remy warmly. "I do believe this is Haruka Tenoh, one of Japan's up and coming racing queens."

"Hmph. Well, once upon a time, that might've been my ambition," Haruka scoffed, trying to sound nonchalant. But in truth, this Remy… She wasn't attracted to him at all, but there was still a certain charm to him that was disarming. And Haruka hated how someone could do that so easily.

"Aw, don't tell me someone as talented as you has given up on such grand dreams," said Remy. "I mean, me and Bobby… Some say we be chasing an impossible dream too, tilting at windmills, but we don't ever give up on it."

"Well, you two do whatever's best for you," said Haruka. "As much as I enjoy the thrill of racing, there have been more pressing things to keep me occupied as of late."

"Same here, same here. Me and Bobby be here in your lovely country on business, remember?" Again, that disarming smile of his, which made Haruka scowl a little. "But still, that don't mean we lose sight of our dreams, what be really important to us at the end of the day. And obviously, your love of racing…that ain't goin' away. So back to my original request, Ms. Tenoh… A quick game, you and me. And we make it…interesting."

Haruka raised an eyebrow. "Interesting? How?"

"Oh… I be thinking a friendly little wager," Remy replied airily.

 _No way. This fool doesn't think he should bet serious money on a game, not if he knows who I am,_ Haruka thought incredulously. Out loud, she said, "And just _HOW MUCH_ are you willing to wager on your distraction during a business trip?"

"Oh, I wouldn't be placing a wager. A…friend of mine would," said Remy. Then he took out an American hundred dollar bill and held it out. "Tell me, I'm a bit rusty with my conversion tables… My good buddy Benji, how much be his net worth in yen?"

Haruka couldn't help but stare wide-eyed at what Remy was holding in disbelief. Somewhere in the back of her mind, the sound of a ringing cash register reverberated. _Nearly… Eleven… Thousand… YEN!? Oh, this fool is just ASKING for me to lighten his wallet!_ With a vehement shove, Haruka knocked Minako, who had still been staring googly-eyed at Remy, out of her chair. Artemis just shook his head before jumping down onto her. "Be my guest. You, my dear Frenchman, are on."

"Much obliged, Ms. Tenoh, but I be Cajun, actually," said Remy as he effortlessly jumped over the chair and slid into it. Was he always such a showoff?

 _Let him be a showy bastard,_ Haruka thought. _Just makes it easier for me to be a few thousand yen richer. Besides, from the looks of it, Michiru blew her bet for the pool, so I have to make up the difference somehow…_

His friend Bobby, however, didn't seem to understand the hopeless situation Remy had gleefully traipsed into. "Oh, this should be good," he deadpanned.

"Yeah, good for my finances," Haruka spat with a grin as she put in some tokens. And she was immediately off. No handicapping herself with this arrogant fool, not with a few thousand yen on the line. An arcade F1 racer couldn't quite give the thrill of the real thing, the sheer sensation of speed she often craved, but it was still a fun distraction. Add showing up some poor dope from the United States and pocketing a few thousand yen in the bargain? Her frustration over the snaillike pace of gathering intel about Eclipse was fast evaporating. So Haruka concentrated on banking and powersliding around the curves, keeping up a steady speed. Don't be a showoff like this…Cajun. And soon enough…

Haruka's eyes widened in shock when she noticed the nose of Remy's racer creeping up behind her. _It can't be… He's caught up so soon!?_ Haruka thought incredulously. _We're not even a lap in!_ Risking a glimpse sideways, Haruka saw how deftly Remy was handling the wheel. The speed with which he could work with his hands, his dexterity… Haruka had never seen anything quite like it. And he kept staring at his screen with a razor-sharp focus while _STILL_ wearing that insufferable smile on his face! Scowling, Haruka turned back just in time to round another curve. But she had been too late to do a perfect powerslide, and Remy actually pulled ahead!

"Well well well, looks like it be my lucky day," Remy quipped as he pulled ahead further past Haruka's car.

"Oh no, you think it'll be _THAT_ easy, Cajun!?" Haruka roared as she pressed down on the accelerator harder. "This is about skill, not luck!" As quick as Remy was with his hands, she had far more experience with actual racing. Right?

Minako voiced her doubts about that. "Oooooh, maybe Haruka's met her match, Artemis!" she squealed as she held her cat close. Artemis just groaned. "At least we can be here to witness it…"

"Whatever the outcome, _THIS'LL_ be an interesting story to tell Anna-Marie, I'm sure of it," grumbled Bobby.

Haruka forced down the feelings of humiliation and concentrated with all her might. She would _NOT_ lose in front of Minako to some…Cajun. But Remy was able to handle the corners just as deftly as she could, perhaps more so, and seemed to instinctively know when it was best to floor it, leaving Haruka with few opportunities to catch up. Occasionally, though, the gap in their driving experience showed and Haruka could exploit it, pulling ahead a little.

Yet she was never able to widen the gap as much as in the beginning of the race. Many times, Remy pulled back ahead. After the first lap, the race stayed practically neck-and-neck. Haruka grit her teeth as she focused with all her might, not bothering to glance over to see what she was certain was that rogueish, smiling face still plastered on Remy. A smiling face Haruka was determined to wipe off.

Haruka pressed her pedal down harder, determined to pull a safe distance ahead. A bit of a risk, but Remy was way better than she guessed, and some risk was necessary. Indeed, it was starting to pay off. She was several car-lengths ahead, but there was a curve coming up. Once again, Remy outmaneuvered her when rounding the corner, and pulled ahead slightly. The finish line was only a few hundred meters away now, and this was the last lap. In desperation, Haruka floored it. But Remy did the same, and there wasn't enough time to bridge the gap. It was by mere milliseconds, but someone finally managed to best her at this arcade machine.

For a moment, Haruka, Minako and Artemis just stared slack-jawed, dumbstruck by the upset. Remy, meanwhile, just smiled again as he leaned back in his chair with his hands behind his head, putting his feet up on the steering wheel. "Well, gotta admit I'm a bit surprised too. I kinda prefer choppers to race cars, myself."

Minako shook off her stupor, sensing an opportunity to needle Haruka even more. "Maybe you two should have a motorcycle race for real as a rematch, then. I'm sure Michiru wouldn't mind," she said with a nasty grin.

"Yeah, fine, whatever," grumbled Haruka in defeat as she reached for her pocket. "In the meantime, Remy, I'll just write a check…"

Haruka froze solid when Remy reached over and grabbed her shoulders. "Forget the money, my dear Ms. Tenoh. This will do fine as payment," he said smoothly. And then, Remy softly pecked Haruka on the cheek before climbing out of the arcade chair. Haruka could practically feel Minako and Artemis's dumbfounded gazes upon them, mouths hanging open again. "Come on, Bobby boy. Back to work for us." Haruka didn't even turn to watch the two men leave, still frozen in place. This Cajun…just beat her in a race and had the audacity to get a kiss in on her?

Something that Minako was clearly going to milk for all it was worth. She leaned over the seat vacated by Remy, holding a hand over her mouth as she giggled. "Oooooh, the noble, indomitable Haruka Tenoh not only lost a race, but let a _GUY_ sneak in a kiss? Oooh hoo hoo hoo, I wonder what Michiru would have to say about this?"

Haruka rolled her eyes, realizing Minako had her by the…ovaries. "What will it take to make sure it doesn't?" she demanded darkly.

"Hmmm, all this talk about choppers… Maybe I'd like to take that dirtbike of yours and race that saucy Cajun on it…" Minako suggested airily.

"No. Way," Haruka said sternly.

Minako said nothing, at least not directly to her. Instead, she hit a button on her communicator watch. "Hey Rei, you won't believe what just happened at…"

Haruka shrieked, her hair standing on end, realizing Minako wasn't fooling around. Swiftly lunging over to grab Minako's wrist, she quickly said, "Fine fine fine, you win. You get to borrow the dirtbike…"

"Whoopee!" Minako squealed in delight as she got up from the arcade seat and started skipping away, Artemis still clutched to her chest. Leaving a disgruntled Haruka to just lean forward, planting her head against the steering wheel. Not enough progress in digging up intel on Eclipse, losing an arcade race with _MINAKO_ of all people to witness it, a _GUY_ kissing her and her dirtbike liable to be a smoldering wreck by week's end. Could the day get any worse?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Minako kept skipping along the sidewalk, humming to herself. "Dirtbike racing, dirtbike racing…" she muttered as she and Artemis made their way back home. Meanwhile, Artemis was hardly as enthusiastic. There was the mental image of Minako's brains being splattered across the landscape due to a biking accident, for one thing. Also, was there any time for piddling around with a dirtbike, when Eclipse could strike again at any moment?

"Minako, maybe you should put off the dirtbike joyride until after we capture Eclipse?" Artemis suggested delicately. "There's no telling when she'll resurface…"

"Oh, you worry too much, Artemis," Minako said dismissively. "And hey, if we run into her while joyriding, well… Some hard rubber smashing Eclipse's face at 90 kph may do the trick if Ami's concoction can't!" And so, Minako kept skipping along as if she hadn't a care in the world, leaving Artemis feeling quite envious. At the moment, it looked like Luna was actually looking after the more responsible Sailor Senshi. After all, Usagi was voluntarily READING about mutants for whatever reason. Usagi. Reading. Two words that didn't belong in the same sentence, yet it was happening. While Minako was blackmailing a fellow Senshi to get access to something that could leave her a quadriplegic.

Artemis shook his head as Minako skipped off ahead, not even noticing he was lagging behind. When any Senshi was taking the Dark Kingdom less seriously than Usagi, there was a problem. But as Artemis was lost in his thoughts, not even noticing Minako had rounded a corner and disappeared from view, something jarred the cat out of his pensive state. The voices of those same two men from before… They were coming from an alley Artemis had just stopped in front of. Those two were speaking to each other in English now, which was hardly a surprise. There was something…odd about how they spoke Japanese, something Artemis couldn't put his paw on. But when Artemis heard one of them mutter the word 'mutants', his ears pricked right up.

His curiosity piqued, Artemis carefully walked down into the alley. Soon, he could see Remy and Bobby facing each other, and Artemis swiftly ducked behind a box full of beer bottles. Talk of mutants were on everyone's lips now. But his time with Minako while she was Sailor V…it instilled certain instincts in him, and they had just kicked in big time.

"You really couldn't think of a better excuse to get close enough to those two long enough, could you Remy?" chided Bobby. "You do realize Rogue will pound you into ultra-rare hamburger if she finds out, right?"

"Oh, you worry too much Bobby," Remy replied smoothly, echoing Minako's current state of mind. "It was a bit of harmless fun, and nothing will come of it. Especially not with someone like Haruka Tenoh."

"What d'you mean by that?" demanded Bobby.

Artemis peeked out from behind the box to see Remy staring at Bobby with disbelief. "Bobby, how could you not tell?"

"Tell what?" asked Bobby, sounding as clueless as Usagi usually did.

Remy shook his head. "Never mind then, Bobby. It's not important. What's important is we hung around Haruka and the other girl long enough for our portable Cerebro processor to do its thing."

"And…what's the verdict?" Bobby demanded impatiently.

Artemis watched anxiously as Remy pulled something out of his coat pocket and examined it. "Two big fat duds," replied Remy. "Those two ladies, whatever they are, they're no mutants."

 _So there IS something out there that can zero in on mutants,_ Artemis thought. _But why would such a device be confused by a Sailor Senshi? Never mind. If I can spot an opportunity to get this…Cerebro away from this Cajun…_

"So we struck out again. Just like Logan and Kitty did," spat Bobby. "This is getting ridiculous. We thought Cerebro would be more reliable once we got across the Pacific, but the professor's been having no better luck finding this one mutant here than he did back in Westchester. And all the people he _COULD_ pinpoint that looked powerful enough have been false positives so far. How the hell are we hitting so many dead ends?"

"With the sheer number of mutants-that-ain't-really-mutants we've been sent to track down, Bobby, I do believe there's only one possible answer. One that Kitty's already certain of, too," said Remy. "We be stumbling across Japan's fabled Sailor Senshi by complete accident. Something about their power, it be confusing Cerebro's circuits big-time. And what else could explain the sheer potential power the professor keeps sensing?"

Artemis could feel the fur along his spine standing on end. The mutants Rei and Michiru were certain were coming… They were already here. So far, they were having no better luck tracking down Eclipse than the Sailor Senshi were. Yet that was hardly comforting when it looked like they were swiftly uncovering all of their identities.

"Maybe that'll still be a help," said Bobby. "I don't think the Sailor Senshi want this mutant running around messing things up any more than we do. And it would pay to have someone besides Logan familiar with the lay of the land. If we can convince them to help us…"

"If only it were that easy," scoffed Remy. "We can't even get folks like the Avengers and the Fantastic Four to go along with us half the time back on the other side of the Pacific. I don't think these Sailor Senshi will be none too kind about more mutants steppin' on their turf. Especially foreign mutants."

"And of course we couldn't reach Shiro to get him to vouch for us if things got ugly, because of course we couldn't," Bobby muttered in agreement. "Still, from what the others reported, Remy, there's a little hope. When Kitty pressed this one girl at that chess place, she seemed to fold and get nervous. As if they're not quite sure about what to do."

"They're still doin' somethin' all the same," said Remy. "Logan went to that Shinto shrine. Said it smells like a chemical lab over there." The fur along Artemis's spine now felt like it was electrified. They tracked one of the Senshi all the way to the Hikawa Shrine? They knew about their meeting place?

Bobby let out a defeated sigh. "I guess you're right. Hank said that the other girl at the chess place was supposed to beJapan'sblue-haired super-genius." Artemis grit his teeth. These two, the group they belonged to… They indeed were tracking down the Sailor Senshi with frightening precision, all by complete accident. "Coming up with some chemical weapon to tackle a mutant like this Eclipse? That is so something Hank would do."

"Then we need to move fast, Bobby," said Remy. "Track down this girl before we have no choice but to fight these guardians of love and justice, no?"

"Can't we trip them up instead?" suggested Bobby. "I mean, if they're banking on this chemical they're brewing… You're a thief, Remy. Can't you just…sneak in and trash their shrine-lab or something?"

"I'm flattered you think so highly of my thievin' skills, but I'd need to case this shrine first," explained Remy. "Even if I didn't have to worry about super-powered girls thrown into the mix, my instincts tell me we don't have the time to plan a heist."

"And it would be the best way to guarantee the turf war we're desperate to avoid," said Bobby in agreement. "After Magneto being so very unhelpful yet again, the last thing Japan needs is front-row seats to hot Senshi-on-mutant action, that's for sure."

"Then let's go report to Ororo and the professor, and see if they've got any other ideas," said Remy. Artemis ducked back behind his box upon seeing the two men turn to leave the alley. He glared at their backs as he watched them go. Thankfully, whatever mutant powers those men had, it didn't let them sense an eavesdropper. Artemis briefly considered following them, but decided it wasn't worth pushing his luck, something in short supply for the Sailor Senshi these days.

Besides, it was far more important to brief the other Senshi on what he just overheard. And there would need to be round-the-clock watch on the Hikawa Shrine now, in case that thief _DID_ decide to pay them a visit. So Artemis ran as fast as his legs could carry him back for Minako's house. The situation had just become much more complicated. And despite how these two mutants sounded wary of a conflict with the Sailor Senshi, Artemis's instincts told him that they wouldn't hesitate if a confrontation was the only way to reach Eclipse first. The Sailor Senshi would have to be ready.

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Oh, the gags in this chapter, I had these planned for a long, long time. I thought the arcade racer scene would be a pain to write once the time finally came, but surprisingly, it just flowed naturally. Believe it or not, writing the quick bits about Usagi reading while on the can and Rei picking her nose were MUCH harder. Who says toilet humor requires no effort?

So long,

Grey-X


	6. Generational Shift

Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 6: Generational Shift

5-6-2017

By Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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With a paper bag full of chemicals pilfered from the art museum's stores, Michiru cautiously made her way toward the closest exit. The restoration rooms here had a variety of chemicals Ami needed that would substitute nicely for things that would be watched too closely at Mamoru's university. Still, Michiru had to be careful. Her zeal for getting Eclipse off the streets didn't exactly translate into not caring whether or not she would still be welcome at this museum. The curator here had already accepted a good deal of her work, much of it adorning the museum's halls. Michiru rather enjoyed showing off her talent and spreading a little beauty in an otherwise ugly world. And recent events had certainly elucidated how ugly a world it could be.

 _And it'll only get worse if Eclipse isn't brought to heel, and soon,_ Michiru told herself. Just because Michiru was willing to give Ami's plan a try, even help it reach fruition, it did not mean she lost sight of the importance of their end goal. Eclipse had to be dealt with, one way or another. Not only did the Sailor Senshi need answers regarding her connection to the Dark Kingdom, but every day Eclipse was allowed to roam free was another day panic about mutants continued to fester. There was enough of that going on already to let such hysteria go unchecked. _Then again, even if we had captured Eclipse already, Magneto's attack at sea would've still catalyzed more anti-mutant resentment._

Michiru always put on a show of steely resolve, but reading about Magneto's antics in the papers had put her on edge. Magneto's raw power was supposed to be virtually without equal, something the news reports certainly corroborated. And it only made Michiru recall just how badly she and Haruka got blindsided by Eclipse. These mutants were so unlike the Sailor Senshi. Their power…it was destined to be used for a specific purpose, a noble purpose they were reborn to fulfill. Mutants were another story. They received their powers at random, through a quirk of genetic fate, and if someone as unhinged as Erik Lehnsherr got such vast power, it meant potential calamity for all. Perhaps there was good reason to be wary of mutants. Some of the other Senshi would balk at such notions, most certainly Usagi. But Michiru couldn't help feeling that way at present. Especially after Eclipse proved more than a match for them, and then being reminded there were far more powerful mutants out there.

Michiru was so wrapped up in her thoughts, she almost didn't notice the person in the hallway to her right, staring at a painting. He only caught her attention because the fellow was quite big, taking up a good deal of her peripheral vision. Plus, she realized he was scrutinizing one of HER paintings.

Despite her eagerness to get out of the museum, Michiru found herself stopping to see just who was admiring her artwork. He certainly was big, perhaps at least half a head taller than Mamoru. The man also had black hair, but much shorter, styled in a sort of flat-top. He wore greyish cargo pants, boots and a white t-shirt that looked comically stretched out over his muscular frame. But what struck Michiru most was his eyes. They radiated as much strength as his imposing physique, but carried a trace of unimaginable sadness as well.

Soon, the man noticed he was being stared at, slowly turning his head. "Is there something I can help you with?" he asked. Again, a voice that radiated strength, but held underlying sorrow.

"Not really," said Michiru. "I just noticed you were looking at one of my paintings."

He looked back to the plaque, squinting as if he was having a hard time reading it. Perhaps he was. There was something a bit…off with the way he spoke Japanese. Or maybe it was just that thick Russian accent of his. "Ah, Michiru Kaioh. I've heard the name before. I've just never had the privilege of appreciating your unique painting style firsthand until now." Michiru went over and stood by him, taking another look at her own painting herself. It was the first thing she had found the inspiration to paint after the Death Busters finally went down, the Silence thwarted. The remains of a blown-apart skyscraper in the purplish-red light of creeping daybreak, with an angelic figure holding a bundled-up baby. Not too different from what actually happened. "Such passion that went into it. Both beautiful and heartbreaking. It makes me wonder if you went through a…trying time. If so, I commend you, Ms. Kaioh. You've found the passion to continue creating art even after tragedy. I...haven't found that to be easy…"

Michiru blinked in surprise. At first glance, one wouldn't have expected such a brutish-looking fellow to dabble in art. "So, you a painter too? I'm getting a feeling I should know who you are, but I'm drawing a blank…"

The big man chuckled. "Indeed, but it's not art I would be well-known for. The name is Piotr Rasputin, but everyone simply calls me Peter."

"Well then, Peter. I'm…sorry for whatever happened that makes painting so hard now," Michiru said apologetically.

"It's not just that," said Peter. "It was how, in my grief, I made some…foolish decisions in the aftermath. Now I am working to fix my mistakes."

For some reason, those words went through Michiru's heart like an arrow. Peter couldn't possibly know about the circumstances that brought about this particular painting, yet it felt like those words were directed at her. Even though she was stealing these chemicals because she was _TRYING_ to not repeat her mistake with Hotaru Tomoe. "I…guess it's important to move on and learn from mistakes," was all Michiru could think of to say.

Peter nodded to her, then looked back to the painting. "And I don't know what it is about your work, Michiru, but it somehow makes me feel as if…I've come close. Perhaps, at last, I've found the inspiration I need, to begin painting again myself, and…"

"Hey Pete, got what you came for? We're burnin' daylight here," came a rough voice from the other side of the hall, surprisingly a woman's. She also had a thick accent, sounding like it was from the southern regions of the United States. And again, something a tad off about her Japanese. Michiru looked down the hall to see a woman with long, brown hair that also sported a weird white blotch right above her forehead. She wore jeans, high-heeled boots, a sallow, long-sleeved button-up shirt, and for whatever reason, thick gloves. Who wore gloves during the day in the middle of spring? But then Michiru became aware of something much odder, and much more significant. There was something…otherworldly about this woman! Yes, the longer she stayed close by, the more Michiru could sense she had some power that stemmed from beyond Earth.

Michiru was so fixated on what she was sensing, she barely noticed a beeping sound coming from Peter's cargo pant pocket. Peter pulled something out, glanced at it, then looked to Michiru. His gaze was far more furtive than before, as if everything else he had been pondering was banished to the back of his mind. "Yes, Anna-Marie, I believe I have," Peter said simply. "Perhaps we will meet again soon, Ms. Kaioh. I would…love to exchange notes about how we both approach art…" With that, Peter turned to leave with this Anna-Marie. Anna-Marie gave Michiru a furtive look of her own before the pair went around the corner.

Conveniently, it looked like they were heading for a back exit Michiru had planned to exploit. Besides, Michiru's curiosity was now piqued after what she just sensed. She slowly took off after them, hoping not to make too much noise, which was a bit of a challenge given the heels she wore. Eventually, she caught up with them, catching a glimpse of their backs as they went around a corner which led to the exit. Abandoning all pretense, Michiru broke into a run, clutching the bag of chemicals to her chest. As expected, the back door exit was open, leading into an alleyway. But when Michiru ran out and looked around, there was no trace of Anna-Marie or Peter.

 _How in… There's no way they could've fled the alley this fast!_ Michiru fumed in disbelief. But she couldn't sense any trace of whatever alien power Anna-Marie possessed. Whether it was flight, teleportation, or something else altogether, those two were long gone, leaving Michiru with only vexing questions. A scream from the floor above, however, told Michiru she might have other immediate concerns.

After hiding her bag of chemicals behind a dumpster, Michiru ran back inside, ascending the first flight of stairs she came across. Michiru kept on running, toward the room where she was certain the screams came from, and received a jolt when she found herself barreling toward the curator's private office. A small crowd had gathered beyond the doorway, and Michiru had to force herself past in spite of grumbling protests. Once inside, Michiru saw why someone had screamed. The curator was alive, obviously drawing in breath, but he was passed out over his desk. There was blood spattered across it, and parts of his suit were burned away, ugly wounds visible through the holes. At first, Michiru was certain those two that slipped away were somehow responsible, but then she spotted another clue: a small blotch of some inky tar on the curator's jacket collar.

 _So Eclipse has struck again,_ Michiru fumed inwardly, all worries about bumbling into more poor decisions evaporating. _And now she's become brazen enough to strike at people in broad daylight._ Out loud, she bellowed, "Don't just stand there everyone! Someone call the paramedics!" It took a few more seconds for someone to finally snap out of it and grab the phone on the curator's desk, while Michiru went over and grabbed the unconscious man's wrist. "Good. His pulse is erratic, but strong enough to ensure he'll last until help arrives," Michiru told the crowd to ease their fears. But the city's anxieties wouldn't be assuaged for good until Eclipse was brought down. And Michiru was now more determined than ever to make sure that happened soon.

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The hours ticked by well into the afternoon, the sun continuing its trek across the sky, but there were still plenty of hours of sunlight left. Something Chibiusa was determined to make the most of, refusing to let the uncertainty over Eclipse, and everyone's fear of mutants in general, drag her spirits down. She had tagged along with Mamoru and Usagi to the park. Usagi didn't really put up much of a fight about that. That's how Chibiusa knew something was _REALLY_ wrong with her future mother. Delving into books meant for college students was one thing. Not getting envious about her tagging along on an afternoon date with Mamo-chan was something else altogether.

Even as Chibiusa busied herself with a soccer game with other kids in the park, she chanced furtive glances over at the bench Usagi was sitting at. Mamoru had left moments ago to get both of them ice cream, leaving Usagi alone with her nose _STILL_ in that book. _OK, maybe the thing with Ami's book alone was enough to tell us Usagi really isn't right in the head,_ Chibiusa thought as she looked back ahead, nudging the soccer ball across the park as she ran. _Not to mention, if she keeps at it, I'll blow my bet for the pool!_

Having gotten far enough, Chibiusa went for the winning shot, kicking the soccer ball. But her friend Momoko Momohara was the goaltender for the other team, and effortlessly dove to block the shot. But Momoko did a bit too good of a job at that. She ended up smacking the ball away so hard, it sailed clear across the field into a thick patch of bushes. "Oops," grumbled Momoko sheepishly.

"Hey, no problem, Momoko! I'll go get it!" Chibiusa said quickly, taking off after the ball. She had already gotten a good distance away from the other kids, but Chibiusa could still hear some of their mutterings.

"Wow, the way Momoko knocked that ball away… Inhuman," said one boy.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" replied another boy.

Chibiusa stopped dead in her tracks, looking back to the other kids. No way to tell which of them were voicing such idiotic thoughts. Then her eyes focused on Momoko again. What if she did develop mutant powers in a few years? What if any of these kids did? Would they get hauled off, like that one girl from days ago? The memory of that was still a knife in the gut for Chibiusa. Nothing of the sort ever happened in Crystal Tokyo. Just what was wrong with Tokyo in this era?

Shaking her head, Chibiusa turned back to the bushes to look for the ball. "Let's see, I'm pretty sure it would have landed about here," Chibiusa thought aloud. Though fairly certain about where the soccer ball should be, it was nowhere to be found. Chibiusa looked around some more, but still, no soccer ball. Growing a bit frustrated, Chibiusa was about to go back and tell the other kids they were out of luck, until someone suddenly called out, specifically for her.

"Hey kid, I think this is yours," came a gruff voice, definitely a man's.

Chibiusa whirled around to see some really huge guy that seemed to loom over her, despite being quite a few meters away. He wore a long coat, and had dark sunglasses obscuring his eyes. They really didn't hide the grizzled appearance of his face, and his short, white hair punctuated the aura of someone that had been through a lot. With a light toss, the ball sailed back over to Chibiusa for her to catch it. Chibiusa looked down at the ball in her hands, then back up to see the strange man walking toward her. There was no lying to herself about the anxiety creeping up. This big guy…didn't exactly look friendly.

Yet as he neared, it was clear he intended to walk past Chibiusa. Chibiusa started to calm down, even as he loomed closer. There was… something about this guy, something that told Chibiusa that the two of them were alike in many ways. He stopped beside her for a moment, looking down at the little pink-haired girl. Chibiusa thought it must have been a trick of the sunlight, but she could've sworn that the man's eyes briefly glowed from behind his sunglasses. "You better get back to your friends. They might be a bit worried by now," he said suddenly, sounding just as gruff as before.

"Uh, yeah, I guess," said Chibiusa timidly.

"That's a good girl," said the weird, big guy. "Stay safe now. Both of us know how… uncertain this era can be."

Chibiusa shook her head again, wondering what was up with this weirdo. But as she walked past him to go back to play some more soccer, something clicked. The way he said 'this era'… As if he knew she had traveled from another time! And made it sound like he had done the same thing!?

Chibiusa whirled around again to look for him, but he had vanished as swiftly as he had appeared. Chibiusa's instincts told her to forget about it, that she was looking too much into things, and the Sailor Senshi had plenty else to worry about. Still, his words nagged at her mind, and the nagging feeling just wouldn't go away. With a disgruntled sigh, Chibiusa ran deeper into the park, determined to get some answers.

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Halfway through this book now. Halfway through this book that made Usagi's eyes bleed, and made her brain feel like it was giving birth to a porcupine. Usagi blinked again, everything threatening to become a hazy blur once more. It was like the humiliating agony of every single study session over the past year, only crammed into the span of a few days. Usagi's only consolation, the only thing that made this torture worth it, was that the book had indeed elucidated a few things for her. For one thing, it finally drilled the meaning of that word 'epigenetics' into her head, regarding how the traits on the mutant X-gene manifested during puberty. She knew about that thanks to Ami already, but now, at least, Usagi had a slightly better understanding of how it happened.

The book not only delved in the biological aspect of mutation, but also the psychological impact it had on those with emerging mutant powers. Not that the latter was any easier for Usagi to comprehend. There were loads of suggestions and complex theories about how to ease teenage mutants through such awkward times. They all sounded good, but Usagi had no idea how to put them into practice, to help Naru. Not when Naru not only had grown resentful of Usagi Tsukino, but seemed to know she and Sailor Moon were one and the same, and probably resented Sailor Moon too.

Usagi's eyes screwed shut again. Not from agonizing over this stupidly complicated book, but from the memory of Naru glaring at her. That accusatory stare, the look of betrayal in those eyes. The worst part was that Naru had every right to feel that way. Usagi never really considered how shut out Naru must have felt until then. Add to that how Naru suspected she was really Sailor Moon, and then saw her do nothing as a fellow mutant, practically still a child, was hauled away on trumped-up charges.

 _I've neglected Naru long enough. Time to fix my mistakes,_ Usagi thought resolutely, opening her eyes to delve into that infuriating book yet again. As maddening as it was, answers had come, and Usagi was certain more awaited. Answers she needed to not only figure out how to approach Naru, but perhaps counter this wave of anti-mutant hysteria in Japan. Naru was right. Sailor Moon had to _DO SOMETHING_ about that too! But Usagi still had no idea just what, and with Eclipse on the loose, she couldn't exactly plead that case to the other Sailor Senshi. So for now, Usagi was left to flounder for answers on her own.

And so, Usagi kept reading, though page after page, the words felt like needles jabbing into her eyes. It was almost becoming a masochistic dance, so much so that she almost didn't notice Mamoru had finally returned with ice cream. Mamoru spoke up just as Usagi turned away from Ami's book, realizing he was there. "Wow Usa-ko, the ice cream smell almost didn't register? You really _ARE_ getting into that book," he said with a smirk.

Usagi just made a pouty face at Mamoru, but it began to fade when he offered a strawberry ice cream cone. The pros and cons of having a man who knew exactly how to get to her heart. In this case, going through the stomach sure helped. So Usagi finally shut the book and got up to walk with Mamoru, his arms around her shoulders. While savoring every bite of ice cream, of course.

In between two big bites, Usagi asked, "So, how's the chemical to cut Eclipse's powers coming along?"

Mamoru sighed, then said, "Well, there wasn't much I could do this morning. I was only standing watch while the current batch was catalyzing. Ami's going to be the one at the shrine when that round is finally done, so I'll have to get with her later tonight. Best guess though, Usa-ko? Another two or three days."

Usagi slumped a little next to Mamoru as they walked. Another two or three days where Eclipse could strike at any time, with no reliable way of taking her down to interrogate later. So much was riding on Ami's plan. Getting answers about Eclipse's Dark Kingdom connections for one thing, but also making sure anti-mutant hysteria didn't spread further. Between Eclipse and Magneto, Usagi feared it was going to get worse before it got better. If it ever got better.

As if reading her mind, Mamoru said, "I know you're worried about mutants in Japan, Usa-ko, and trying to do what you can. But I wish you'd tell me a bit more." Eyes widening, Usagi looked up at him mid-lick. "Please, Usa-ko. I'm not prideful enough to think you're torturing yourself with that book just to try impressed me again by delving into my field. This furor over mutants has hit home for you, hasn't it?"

"What do you mean, Mamo-chan?" Usagi said quickly. "What, you think I'm a mutant too?"

Mamoru chuckled to himself. "Of course not, Usa-ko. Don't forget, I know a good deal about genetics already. If you did manifest mutant powers, I don't think you would've gained adequate control soon enough. One of us would have noticed something…funny." Usagi scowled at him with a pouty face again, but knew Mamoru was right. She had learned that much from Ami's book, at least. "So on top of knowing you simply have a big heart that bleeds for all the scared mutants here in Japan, I'm guessing there's a mutant you know personally."

This time, Usagi almost dropped her ice cream altogether. It made sense that Mamoru was getting close to the truth. He understood genetics inside-out after all, while Usagi's brain was going into overdrive just trying to learn the basics. "Uh, Mamo-chan, I-I-I… Well, that is, ummm…"

"Usa-ko, I understand that if I'm right, you're just trying to protect someone," Mamoru went on. "I just want you to know, I can still help you. We've been through so much already, and shutting you out before was one of the worst mistakes I ever made. Please Usa-ko, don't do the same. If there's anything I can do…"

Usagi desperately wanted to tell him, to tell everyone. She wanted the collective strength of the Sailor Senshi behind her more than ever for this. But with Eclipse already complicating things, and the fear of making Naru feel betrayed all over again, Usagi couldn't bring herself to do it. "Mamo-chan, I-I-I-I… I'm sorry, but I c-c-can't, I just…"

Usagi was cut off when Chibiusa's friend Momoko ran up to them. "Usagi, Mamoru… Have you seen Chibiusa? She went to find our lost soccer ball, but she's been gone for a few minutes."

Mamoru sighed. "Usagi, why don't you go back to the bench in case Chibiusa shows up? I'll go with Momoko to look for her." But there was something in Mamoru's voice that told Usagi he wasn't giving up on this, and Usagi had no idea how she would deflect the next time he got serious. So the two of them went in opposite directions. When Usagi reached the bench again, the lure of sugary goodness was now there to distract her, but eventually that book called out to embrace its torment once again. With Chibiusa being an idiot and disappearing on them, however, it made concentrating even more of a chore. Even with the rest of that ice cream cone to devour, Usagi scowled at the pages, the words swirling in her vision.

Something that didn't go unnoticed, but this time, it wasn't Mamoru who pointed this out. "Wow, you certainly seem absorbed in that book," came a kindly voice, though it still had an air of sternness to it.

Usagi slowly looked up as she popped what remained of the ice cream cone into her mouth. It wasn't just one person who had sauntered up to her bench, but two. A somewhat old, bald man with Caucasian features sitting in a wheelchair, being pushed by a dark-skinned woman with white hair, who looked to be a little taller than Haruka. She reminded Usagi of the impression she got of Michiru when she first observed her playing her violin, that air of refinement and maturity. And strangely, she seemed to radiate the same aura of strength Michiru exuded as Sailor Neptune, just by standing there. When Usagi's attention returned to the man in the wheelchair, she saw he was smiling at her quite broadly, as if he knew some sly inside joke about her. It sort of belied the refined air he himself went for, what with that silvery-grey business suit of his. Usagi also noticed something weird about his wheelchair. It was mostly made up of clear plastic. Why would anyone make a wheelchair like that? What was the point?

The strange pair had come up so suddenly, Usagi couldn't really think up a good, deflective retort. She didn't want _ANYONE_ to suspect there was a reason she was torturing herself with this book, especially two foreigners, even if one of them spoke surprisingly good Japanese. "Yeah, well, I'm going into high school soon, so… Getting prepared now," Usagi lied with a nervous laugh. Hopefully, they wouldn't suspect that that attitude was the complete opposite of how she approached school in general.

For a moment, it looked like the old man was fooled, but the woman pushing his wheelchair was inclined to dig further. "My dear, that book… Though it is accessible to the layman, it was mostly written with graduate students delving into genetics and psychology in mind."

Usagi scowled at her. Not only did she carry that same aura of strength as Sailor Neptune, but a bit of that haughtiness crept in, too. "And how would you know that?" she demanded.

Usagi's gaze returned to the man in the wheelchair when he chuckled to himself. "Oh, Ororo would most certainly know about that book. After all, I wrote it. Or at least, its original English version."

Eyes widening in shock, Usagi flipped to the front of the book. There was a small, grainy, black-and-white photograph of the book's author. The features were a tad blurry, but there was no mistaking that bald dome. Usagi looked from the photo to the man in the wheelchair and back a few times before finally realizing he was telling the truth. "Professor…Charles Xavier," Usagi muttered to herself in disbelief, "a world-renowned authority on genetics…" Looking back to Xavier, she said, "So…what brings you to Japan, then?"

"A recruitment drive of sorts, if you will," said Xavier. "I have my own private institution that I run back home in the United States, the Xavier Institute. And I look for prospective students all over the world."

"So… on top of being a professor of genetics, you run your own school?" asked Usagi.

"With the help of some of my older students, who've now become teachers in their own right," said Xavier. "Yes, it's expanded quite nicely in recent years, and we're always on the hunt for students who just have that… special something to offer."

Usagi gazed back at Xavier dubiously, then looked up to Ororo. "I take it you're one of the students-turned-teachers?"

"Why yes," replied Ororo. "The professor and I… We've been working together for a long time, ever since he… found me in Kenya. It's gotten to the point where I couldn't imagine doing anything else."

Usagi let out a little snort. "Well, if you wound up with me in one of your classes, that'd change in a heartbeat." Not that she'd have a chance of getting admitted to a school where speaking English fluently was a prerequisite, of course. "Teachers can't stand me, plain and simple. I make them hate their jobs. Go ask my old English teacher if you don't believe me. She lost count of the ulcers I gave her."

Usagi expected Ororo to mutter something in agreement, but to Usagi's surprise, she sounded quite doubtful of her prediction. "Don't sell yourself short so soon. Something tells me you would be a perfect fit at our school, Ms…"

Usagi's eyes widened at the notion that she would be welcome in _ANY_ school, let alone some prestigious private outfit overseas. When Usagi got over the shock, she simply muttered. "Uh, Tsukino… Usagi Tsukino…"

"Ms. Tsukino, then," Ororo repeated. "Perhaps you have what we are looking for in students, then, if you're so eagerly devouring a book meant for college students when you're just entering high school."

Usagi looked down at the book giving her so many headaches. "Well, there _IS_ a bit more to it, actually," Usagi admitted sheepishly.

"I'm curious as to what drew you to my book, then," said Xavier.

"It's not _MY_ copy, exactly," said Usagi. "I borrowed it from a friend. Someone who'd be a much better fit for an elite school in America, that's for sure. She can speak English perfectly, for one thing…"

"Perhaps you could introduce us some other time," Xavier said kindly, though with a voice that made it clear he wouldn't let Usagi change the subject so easily. "For now, though, I'd like to hear why _YOU'RE_ reading it. Perhaps, if there's something specific you wish to know, I can help you get some answers faster."

Usagi looked at Xavier dubiously again, then up to Ororo. A student-turned-teacher, someone who exuded an aura of strength, but now Usagi could sense a gentleness of spirit to her along with it. They helped run an elite school, and something about them told Usagi they could be trusted, but they were still more or less strangers. She couldn't exactly tell them all about Naru, let alone the mess the Sailor Senshi had on their hands thanks to Eclipse. But if Xavier literally wrote the book on how to provide guidance to youngsters just manifesting mutant powers, he clearly had no prejudice regarding mutants. Just the opposite, obviously. Given how she felt so limited with what she could share with her fellow Senshi, there was this overpowering need to just…let more out. And if there was any complete stranger she could trust, it was looking like fate would offer up none better than Charles Xavier.

"It's just that, well, I've got a…friend, who's…you know, a mutant. A pretty powerful one, too, but it's killing her inside," Usagi said softly as she looked down, then quickly glanced around to make sure no one else overheard. That little imp Chibiusa could sneak up anytime. Satisfied there were no eavesdroppers, Usagi went on, though she looked back down. "A friend who I kinda drifted away from in the last year or two, and she already must've felt shut out, and now this happened. She, well, kinda thinks that's I know, but I can't come out and outright say that I know, because I've got secrets of my own, and… Oh, it's just so damn complicated. And even worse, my closest friends… I can't really explain it to any of them either, mostly because I feel honor-bound to guard this secret. And with how Japan's starting to turn against mutants, it's just… I have no idea what to do, or who to turn to." Usagi surprised herself by how much she was willing to let out. She only hoped she didn't spill too much, but there was something about Xavier that somewhat assuaged Usagi's anxiety, that told her he could be trusted.

She looked back up to Xavier, seeing that he was digesting what little she was willing to let slip. It was clear he was listening, _REALLY_ listening, and carefully weighing his answer. At last, he spoke again. "First of all, Ms. Tsukino, if you wish to help your friend and see to it that she regains her confidence, you must have confidence in yourself. I'd suggest first, stop doubting yourself. If you feel guilt over drifting away from your friend, you must try to work through it. You're willing to help now, be there for her now, and that's what matters most."

"The professor is quite right, Ms. Tsukino," said Ororo. She walked around Xavier's wheelchair and sat beside Usagi. Now Usagi could see she wore black pants that hugged her frame, along with a loose-fitting long-sleeved black shirt and an orange scarf with a tiger-stripe pattern. She looked strikingly beautiful, every bit the mature woman Usagi wished to become one day. It was little wonder she became a teacher, one respected at such an elite school. "None of us are perfect. The professor and I, all the other former students who have gone on to become teachers, we've all made mistakes. Some so egregious that at one point, we were certain they were unforgivable. But together, we found the strength of spirit to work past such doubt, and now work to help others do the same."

Usagi looked down at the ground again. Perhaps they were right. As Sailor Moon, she had already overcome so much. But this situation with mutants in Japan was different. There was no big target like Beryl merged with Metalia to blow away. The Ginzuishou's power might be able to purify Eclipse, but it couldn't suddenly purge the people of Japan of their fear and hate for mutants. If helping Naru and making the Japanese people see reason was possible, Usagi couldn't yet see how. "So once I'm confident enough to try, what should I do next?" she asked Xavier and Ororo point-blank.

"Something tells me you'll find the answer," said Xavier. "What you've been willing to tell me about your friend, it's not much to go on. However, you've read my book, so you must have gleaned how there's no one-size-fits-all answer. What's in the book, it's meant to be more of a guide than a strict by-the-numbers instruction manual. I can spell out the concrete science behind mutation, Ms. Tsukino, and elucidate the psychological intricacies of those dealing with it firsthand. But there's an element that depends on the one seeking a solution, the heart. And from what you've told me, Ms. Tsukino, I can sense that your heart is in the right place."

Usagi took a moment to digest this. That sure was a relief, knowing that she wouldn't have to understand the book inside-and-out before she could even think of helping Naru. But still, there was the first step of facing up to Naru. How deep was her frustration with Usagi Tsukino, and possibly Sailor Moon? Did Usagi have the courage to take that first step? Despite everything else she had been through, the idea of tackling this issue with Naru head-on filled Usagi with doubt all over again. "Professor Xavier, I-I-I don't know. The way she looked at me last time, I-I-I-I…" She was rudely interrupted by her communicator watch going off. She grunted in frustration, but when she saw Xavier and Ororo's bemused looks, frustration quickly gave way to nervousness. "Oh, further proof I don't belong at your school. Can't even set this watch right," she said quickly with another nervous laugh. "Hang on a second," Usagi added as she leaned away from the two of them, pretending to fiddle with the settings while only hitting a single button. "Who is it?" she hissed into her watch. "I'm kind of in the middle of something important…"

"And I bet it involved stuffing your face with ice cream while you were at it," came Rei's curt retort. Usagi just scowled. Rei wasn't _ENTIRELY_ wrong. "Anyway, we got a serious problem. Michiru called it right. There's a bunch of mutants here in Japan on the hunt, but they're stumbling upon Sailor Senshi. There was this short, fuzzy-headed guy who came to the shrine, asking about finding 'special kids' or whatever to recruit for a school. And I just got in touch with Makoto and Michiru. Some blue-furred scientist guy zeroed in right on Ami at the Chess Tower, and Michiru sensed something funny about this one American woman at the art museum. And as if to confirm we're in some serious trouble, Artemis overheard these two American guys who Haruka and Minako met at the arcade. They're _DEFINITELY_ looking for Eclipse, and they got something called Cerebro that's been leading them to _US_ instead."

It was a bit much, coming at Usagi too fast, to really make sense of it right away, but Rei got the basic idea across. "So what do we do now?" Usagi whispered back.

"First off, you and Mamoru need to watch your backs," said Rei. "The other Senshi have had run-ins with weirdos from across the Pacific, so if they found us so easily, they'll eventually come around to you to see if you're a mutant. Haruka and Michiru noticed something funny about some of them, though. The way they spoke Japanese, it was a tad off. That Logan guy spoke it just fine, but maybe his friends… Anyway, has anyone come up to you who just sounds a little… off?"

Usagi's insides froze as she slowly looked over her shoulder, back at Ororo and Professor Xavier, who were talking amongst themselves about something. Rei said she was visited by someone also recruiting for a school over in America? Was he another one of Xavier's old 'students'? But then something else clicked in Usagi's head. How worked up Rei sounded, as if she still hadn't shaken the memory of her run-in with…a guy in a wheelchair with psychic powers!? Usagi couldn't help but keep her gaze locked on the professor. Could this nice old man really be a mutant powerhouse himself? And the woman with him… Something else suddenly clicked. All those articles about the X-Men that showed a dark-skinned woman who could fly and control the weather itself… _**STORM**_! That air of strength and purpose Ororo carried, it had to be her! Even that plastic wheelchair suddenly made sense. If you always had to worry about someone who controls _METAL_ …

With all the perseverating Usagi had done over that book, plus being convinced there was no chance of ever finding the X-Men, she hadn't really given those magazine articles too much thought in the last couple of days. But here she was, face-to-face with one of the X-Men, and the man who probably brought them together. Not to mention, if her suspicions were correct, they were two of the most powerful mutants in the world.

And despite herself, despite knowing that she should be elated she found the people who could help Naru, Usagi found herself full of anxiety. It sickened her to no end, realizing she was reacting as fearfully as most other people would around mutants, but Usagi couldn't quite ignore how her heart was hammering. So many burning questions went through her mind. Had Xavier read _HER_ mind? What would the X-Men do if they indeed suspected they had run into all the Sailor Senshi? What were their plans for Eclipse?

So many questions, practically no time to consider the answers. Perhaps it was fortunate, then, that Mamoru walked back up just then, holding Chibiusa tightly in tow. "I told you, Mamo-chan, that big guy _KNEW_ something…"

But Mamoru wasn't really listening. Instead, his gaze was focused entirely on Xavier. "I…don't believe it… Professor Charles Xavier? Here in Japan?" he asked incredulously.

Xavier's wheelchair swerved around as he looked up to Mamoru. "Ah, you must be one of Usagi's friends. I was just…chatting with the charming young lady, wondering why she was so engrossed with one of my books."

"Wait a minute, it's one of _YOUR_ books that she's been so obsessed with!?" Mamoru cried in disbelief. Looking over to Usagi, he said, "Usa-ko, don't ever think you can't make it through high school, not if you can stick with a book written by Charles Xavier. Oh, I've been considering applying for overseas studies at his institute, but never thought I could be that good…"

"Like you told Ms. Tsukino, don't doubt yourself," said Ororo. "Much like her, I sense you have much to offer the world."

Usagi only half-heard their conversation, still trying to make sense of this sudden craziness. The X-Men, the toughest mutant team in the world, were here in Japan now, looking for the same mutant the Sailor Senshi were. The mutant they absolutely had to capture to uncover her Dark Kingdom connections, not to mention turn over to the authorities to hopefully calm the panic in Tokyo. But at the same time, they were perhaps her only hope of finding help for Naru. It was a torturous, sadistic choice. Her desire to help Naru clashing with her loyalty to the Sailor Senshi. She was convinced that the X-Men were heroes, that they could be trusted, but… Anxiety still clouded her mind. It shamed Usagi to no end. So what if one of them could turn her mind inside-out, and the other could flatten Tokyo with a hurricane by merely thinking of it? They had proven themselves heroes over and over again, right? But despite that knowledge, these two mutants popping up unexpectedly now filled Usagi with anxiety.

And in the end, that anxiety won.

Usagi stood up and grabbed Mamoru by the arm. "Mamo-chan, we need to go. We have to go meet the others, remember?" she said quickly.

Mamoru looked down at Usagi quizzically. "What do you mean, Usa-ko? What's…"

Usagi got up on her tiptoes to hiss in Mamoru's ear. "They're mutants. They're X-Men. And they're here for Eclipse." She saw his eyes widen, so he clearly got the message.

"Come on, Chibiusa, it's time to go," Mamoru told their future daughter, dragging her along while taking Usagi's hand in her free hand. Looking behind him, he said, "Sorry we have to cut this short, Professor, but there's someplace we really need to be."

"Of course, I understand," said Xavier with a smile. "Take good care of Ms. Tsukino. She's…truly special. And do feel free to mail me an application."

"B-B-B-But, what about that huge guy?" Chibiusa kept on protesting. "He seemed to know I'm…not from around here."

 _Another X-Man, no doubt,_ Usagi reasoned. _A time-traveling X-Man? Shouldn't be too surprising…_ Holding her watch back up, she opened up a channel with Rei again. "Rei, Mamoru, Chibiusa and I are leaving the park, heading for the shrine. Get everyone there for a meeting right now."

"Wait, right now?" came Rei's befuddled reply.

"Yes, _RIGHT NOW_ ," Usagi hissed back. She was finally showing some initiative when it came to Senshi business, and Rei had to sound surprised? But most of Usagi's frustration was with herself. Perhaps her one chance to get real help for Naru, and she was leaving it behind, and her own anxieties and uncertainties were partly to blame.

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Evening was fast approaching, and Erina Kizachi busily went over the last few forms needed before her workday was done. Of course, her mind wasn't entirely focused on something as mundane as paperwork for the research firm she headed. When it came to robotic research, Erina much preferred getting her hands dirty herself. Slaving over computers to works out all the kinks in an artificial intelligence program, getting grease all over her hands as she forewent automated assembly and slapped together delicate components herself… Robotics, engineering and computer programming were her passion, something she was ruthlessly good at. Cold, hard numbers, so easy to understand. Though some would accuse Erina Kizachi of being much better with cold, unfeeling machines than with actual people, even her own family.

And they would be right. And Erina would be the first to admit all of that was true.

At last, her paperwork was done, and Erina raised her head to look around her office, this little insulated life she had once made for herself. Unlike her secret office deep in the bowels of her facility, this office for her official work was quite brightly-lit, almost cheery. Which would aggravate her eyes to no end without her prescription glasses, but Erina learned long ago to at least put on a show of being welcoming, even if people in general tended to rub her the wrong way. All too often during her career, Erina found herself losing patience with those working with her on projects, taking a supreme effort to bottle in her frustration. Oh, what a relief it would soon be, to let out all that pent-up rage in one glorious burst…

Sighing, Erina looked down at her desk again, her eyes inevitably falling to something she had kept stowed away until recently, ever since that fateful day. A small water container, little bigger than a milk jug. An artifact unearthed during a trip to the Mesopotamian region. After all this time, Erina still hadn't bothered to decipher the cuneiform writing plastered all over its hardened clay surface. Though she still wondered just what was inscribed on it. Though robotics and engineering would always be her calling, archaeology still held a powerful lure for Erina. And the memories of that family trip… Those were a cherished gift that Erina hung onto, in order to ensure she was driven ever forward. Just in case recalling that fateful day wasn't enough, being awoken in the ruins of the Juban Odyssey. Realizing what she had lost, and how she had to make Sailor Moon pay.

And pay she would. Erina knew a direct attack on Sailor Moon would be futile, as all the girl's old enemies learned the hard way, so she was forced to be more patient than ever. But that patience was finally starting to pay off. Her plans were beginning to bear fruit, the gears turning faster and faster. Erina smiled as her gaze washed over the cuneiform of the water pot, and not just because of her zest for her inevitable revenge. No, this wasn't just about her personal vendetta against Sailor Moon. Once Erina was done with the foolish girl, and her designs for Japan were finished, she would wind up leaving their country better, perhaps even the entire world better, than Sailor Moon ever could. And _THEN_ her revenge would truly be complete.

Erina was shaken out of her reverie when she heard her office door swing open. No knock beforehand, but when Erina looked away from the artifact, she found her frustration at an unannounced intrusion fading. Gai was there, in his janitor uniform. Erina had just recently finished… fast-tracking the hiring of a new janitorial service, which would let Gai infiltrate her facility even more easily, without anyone suspecting. Granted, his missing finger would raise eyebrows, but a carefully-crafted sob-story about seeking redemption helped gloss things over. And it wasn't too far from the truth. Erina had pulled Gai's fat out of the fire so many times in the past, often against her better judgment, so why not weave a tale that was mostly true? Especially when he was proving more useful as her double-agent than he ever was to his old yakuza family?

Gai glanced over his shoulder to check for any potential eavesdroppers, then shut the door behind him. "Aunt Erina, figured I'd get you the news early, since you've been cooped up on this floor the last few hours," Gai said smoothly. "The situation is looking more complicated. Charles Xavier is here, right in the city, and so are a good number of his X-Men. But so far, it looks like they've only been able to zero in on the Sailor Senshi."

Erina's brow furrowed. "I was expecting as much," she replied calmly. "Lehnsherr warned me that he sensed Xavier using Cerebro to probe somewhere in Japan when he hijacked that ship."

The mention of Magneto made Gai noticeably grimace ever-so-slightly, as it should. As a mere _Homo sapien_ , Eric Magnus Lehnsherr wouldn't exactly be trusting of Gai, despite how he was proving more useful than anyone in the Brotherhood or the Acolytes at the moment. "He…warned you the X-Men would soon be coming? And you didn't clue me in…why?"

Erina flashed a silky smile. "Call it compartmentalization of information, my dear nephew. And insurance that you wouldn't try anything stupid. Crossing fellow yakuza in the past cost you a finger. Crossing someone like Wolverine would cost you some vital organs."

"And yet we're kicking a hornet's nest by going after the Sailor Senshi," Gai pointed out.

"Only after we have all the chess pieces arranged on the board just so," said Erina. "In any case, it's interesting how Cerebro has not only still proven useless to Xavier in this case, but it's led them to the Sailor Senshi instead. It…confirms many theories I had on the nature of their powers. But I digress. This…could be most fortuitous."

"You think we can play things right? Maybe play them against each other?" asked Gai.

"We may need to do precious little," said Erina with a smile. "There's little doubt about one of the reasons the X-Men have come to Japan, and absolutely no doubt this will have them butting heads with the Sailor Senshi."

"Speaking of that, the museum's curator… Not sure if you've been able to keep up with the news today, but panic's set in anew," said Gai.

"Excellent!" cried Erina happily, clapping. "Another chess piece moved against Sailor Moon just so as she agonizes over her countrymen losing their minds, while in the bargain we get a little payback on the clod that caused you so much grief!" In fact, it was that curator who all but guaranteed Gai had to undergo yubitsume years ago. He was near the top of Erina's list of yakuza-affiliated thugs she would happily use in her ploy to finally crack Sailor Moon's heart wide open like an egg.

"I see what you're getting at. Now, the Sailor Senshi will be even more hellbent if push comes to shove," said Gai.

"We'll just have to make sure there's a proper…balance when push does come to shove," said Erina. "And we definitely have the means to. Anyway, you better get out of here before the rest of my staff gets suspicious about a new hire spending so much time up here at this hour." Gai looked confused and a little reluctant, but eventually simply nodded and turned to leave. As he opened the door, Erina spoke up again. "Yes, I indeed have a plan to make sure the Sailor Senshi and the X-Men are at a stalemate for at least a stretch, something that was already discussed. Something you would be privy to if you were actually Gai Izumi, Mystique."

Stopping dead in 'his' tracks, 'he' slowly turned his head back to glare at Erina. Now there was an obvious change in appearance, but only the eyes. Eyes that suddenly shifted to a solid yellow, save for what looked like a collection of black dots that made up what should have been the irises.

"And in case you're wondering Mystique, it was your reaction when I mentioned Lehnsherr. You almost had me fooled. But there's a subtle difference between a _Homo sapien_ 's unease when Magneto is mentioned, and the unease of someone who forged a shaky truce with Magneto to fight for a common goal. Plus, Gai would have been _WAY_ more enthusiastic about me making sure that curator got his comeuppance," Erina went on. Mystique didn't move, simply glaring at Erina as she idly fiddled with some more papers. Whether it was frustration at being found out, or just her lingering distrust of her, Erina wasn't sure. Nor did she care. Magneto was the only one who came even close to giving Erina Kizachi marching orders. Mystique was just someone who's insufferable presence she had to suffer in the meantime. Looking up from her papers, Erina said, "But enough about how you blew your cover, Raven. Did Lehnsherr have you keep tabs on me, or do you have your own agenda, as you so often do?"

Those yellow eyes narrowed. "Let's just say that Magneto puts a level of trust in you that I find unwise," Mystique snarled back in Gai's voice.

"Worried about Lehnsherr, are we?" Erina taunted. "That completely ruins the image I had of you, Raven. You and Lehnsherr were never exactly friends, and you pretty much usurped the title of Brotherhood of Evil Mutants from him. But not only have the Brotherhood and the Acolytes more or less joined forces now, you actually seem to look out for Lehnsherr like a faithful follower."

Erina smiled as she watched Mystique fight back an involuntary snarl. "Think whatever you want," Mystique said at length. "I just find it unsettling that Magneto and I have to bank so much on not only someone who designed a new generation of Sentinels, but is doing so out of a need for petty revenge."

Mystique might be reacting to her taunts, but her retorts simply rolled off Erina, and she smiled even more broadly. "You, Raven Darkholme, can hardly lecture anyone about the type of retribution I seek." Ignoring Mystique's continuing glare, Erina said, "Lehnsherr likes my idea for the Sentinels, so since you're so concerned about him, that should be enough for you. Furthermore, he was implicit about how you should use your shapeshifting talents, and it wasn't to keep tabs on me. You've got work to do among the yakuza still, aiding my nephew. But let me remind you that you're supposed to help _HIM_ along, not the other way around. Your Japanese is perfect, your knowledge of the yakuza valuable, but he has the insider's know-how that Lehnsherr and I need. Let me worry about the Sailor Senshi. Just worry about yourself, and whether or not Lehnsherr will overlook you sticking your scaly blue nose where it doesn't belong."

Glaring at Erina a moment longer, Mystique suddenly chuckled. "You're awfully confident. Then again it shouldn't be surprising, considering you're unafraid of incurring the Sailor Senshi's collective wrath. But as you said, just worry about yourself. You won't keep those girls off-balance forever by throwing Sentinels at them, if that was your plan."

"Of course I can't," Erina agreed. "I just have to make sure the heart of the Senshi cracks like an eggshell before they learn to adapt."

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Anyone ever play that smartphone game _Sailor Moon Drops_? If you were thinking about downloading it…eh. For that sort of game, I much prefer _Jewel Pop Mania_. You get a reward EVERY DAY and it's much easier to stockpile currency for items, while _Sailor Moon Drops_ is super-stingy that way. Sailor Jupiter looks super-cute dancing in place, though.

Anyway, I had to take extra time with this chapter. The first meeting between Usagi Tsukino and Charles Xavier, in my opinion, is probably the most significant part of this story. Two leaders from two different teams, hailing from two different countries, and they slowly figure out who the other is. Almost like…a passing of the torch in a sense. The only upcoming scene as important as this is when, finally, Sailor Moon and Eclipse go head-to-head for the final time. Trust me, you'll never see it coming…

So long,

Grey-X


	7. The Artist and the Thief

Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 7: The Artist and the Thief

5-27-2017

By Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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"How is this possible!?" Rei roared as she paced around her shrine's makeshift chemical laboratory. "All the other enemies we've face in the past… Things go on for a few months before even one of their minions gets a whiff as to who we really are! How did these…mutants zero in on us just a day or two after setting foot in Japan!?"

Most of the other Senshi had gathered again in the shrine, all exuding a nervousness and frustration that mirrored Rei's. Except Haruka and Michiru were a surprising case. Michiru looked more anxious than ever to take the fight to Eclipse again, while Haruka looked more rattled than anything else about…something. Even the cats, sitting atop the table, clearly didn't know what to do next. Typically, they tended to be the rock of the group, the ones who helped guide the Senshi when crafting a plan of action. The way Luna and Artemis always seemed to have something useful to offer had always been a huge comfort to Ami. Assertiveness had never been one of Ami's strengths. Now, the cats looked as perplexed as everyone else, and it made Ami lose a little hope. Her idea with the chemical weapon… Ami was certain the others would help craft a sensible plan around it, but now that hope seemed to be crumbling away in the face of this new problem.

"Like I said, they've got this thing called Cerebro which works as some sort of mutant detector, but it led them straight to all of you," spat Artemis, trying to cover up his unease and confusion.

"I get that part!" snapped Rei. "It's just that… OOOOH! It's galling that these mutants achieved by accident what the rest of our enemies could've only DREAMED OF!"

"At least it doesn't appear these mutants have any hostile intentions," Ami pointed out, hoping to diffuse the tension. "Artemis said they even aim to avoid a confrontation with the Sailor Senshi."

"Still, we can't let them just take Eclipse. At least not until we get some answers out of her," said Makoto. Ami saw how rattled she looked. Soon after losing that chess game to this Kitty Pryde, Makoto pulled Ami away before she could even finish hers, hissing an urgent warning in her ear. Ami didn't want to believe it. One of her heroes, a threat to the Sailor Senshi? But after more reports of other 'encounters' poured in, Ami had to accept the possibility. "I just don't get how this Cerebro gizmo led them to us instead of Eclipse. I mean, if there's this handy-dandy scanning device that tracks mutant DNA, why does it point to us? We don't have any!"

"It must not work by detecting active X-genes, obviously," said Luna. "But if it's not a DNA scanner, what is it?"

"It must be sensitive to something else, something that can be influenced by a Senshi's power," Ami suggested. "Our powers come from our Star Seeds, which doesn't alter DNA. Maybe it affects our brain patterns. I've read plenty of papers that suggest that the brain waves of mutants differ from that of baseline humans."

"Speculating over this is pointless," said Michiru tersely, with a vehemence that made Ami recoil. How they had worked together effectively up to this point was now a mystery to Ami. "The fact remains that these mutants now have a good idea as to who we really are, can probably track our movements, and are likely zeroing in on Eclipse with Cerebro."

"Maybe not that last part, according to Artemis," said Minako. "Eclipse has shaken off everything meant to track her so far. Your mirror, Rei's spirit powers, that wheelchair guy's telepathy, and this Cerebro thing… Maybe it's part of her mutant power, throwing off anything that can pinpoint her."

"Then there's some hope we can get to Eclipse first," said Haruka. "We just have to anticipate Eclipse's next move, and be ready when she strikes, with or without Ami's chemical weapon."

"And we need to know more about the mutants we might be fighting past," said Luna. She then turned to Ami. "Ami, Makoto said you know all about the American biochemist who found you. What more can you tell us about him?"

Ami could only stare back at Luna for a moment, flustered. Dr. Henry McCoy was one of the finest scientific minds in the world, someone she had always looked up to. Living proof of what mutants had to offer the whole world. The thought of fighting past someone like him was both galling and terrifying. His physical strength easily dwarfed any of the Sailor Senshi's, and Ami didn't dare think her mind could match his. But what bothered Ami the most was the notion they _HAD_ to fight someone like him. It seemed so pointless, when such a man could be reasoned with. "First of all, it may not be necessary to fight Dr. McCoy at all. I'm sure if we saw him again, he'd be open to reason…"

"Ami, I know you hero-worship this guy," Makoto cut in gruffly. "But the fact remains that these guys showed up in Japan for Eclipse, and may not give her up without a fight."

"Not only must we uncover her links to your old enemy, but she committed assault against Japanese citizens," Haruka added. "Whether or not they had yakuza ties makes no difference. She must face justice in _THIS_ country."

Ami looked to the two of them, seeing no way to poke holes in their arguments, then relented with a sigh. "Dr. Henry McCoy is one of the world's foremost authorities in the field of biochemistry, but you already knew that. It could help explain why he'd want Eclipse, since her lineup of mutated genes would be so…unique. But on top of that, he's incredibly fast, agile and strong. _MUCH_ stronger than either of you, I'm afraid," said Ami, ignoring Makoto and Haruka's indignant looks. "He's put these abilities to use in several superhero groups over in America. I know he was part of the Avengers for a time, but he's more well-known for being part of this one group of mutants. One I believe he was a founding member of, called…"

"The X-Men," came Usagi's voice all of the sudden. Everyone looked to the doorway to see her stepping through, flanked by Chibiusa and Mamoru. Ami didn't think it was possible, but Usagi looked even more distraught over the idea of tackling these mutants than she was. "Michiru, that group you were thinking of the other day, it was the X-Men. And now they're back in Japan."

Silence lingered in the shrine for a moment, until Rei broke it with her incredulity. "Usagi, how do _YOU_ know that?"

"Because she's been reading up of them, believe it or not," said Luna. "Turns out her father's a big X-Men fanboy, and collected a lot of material on them."

"And, on top of what Ami just said about Beast, I saw Storm in the park. The one who can control the weather by just thinking it," Usagi added with an acid bite, glaring at Rei. Ami recalled reading about Dr. McCoy's teammate named Storm, and shivered a little. That woman basically had her powers, Makoto's and Haruka's all rolled into one. In a package that could fly, and with raw power that shamed them all. "And the best part? She was with this old guy in a wheelchair who seemed to know _EXACTLY_ what was bothering me." If Usagi's aim was to rattle Rei and get her to back off, she succeeded.

"There was another guy in the park, too," Chibiusa added. "Someone who seems to know I'm…not from around here."

"Well, if we needed any more evidence about our new mutant problem, I think we got it," said Minako. "Any idea just who this guy in a wheelchair is, though?"

"Looks like the X-Men are led by none other than Charles Xavier," said Mamoru. "This school he's got for 'gifted youngsters'… It must be a front so he can recruit and train mutants from all over the world."

Ami's jaw dropped in disbelief. "Professor Charles Xavier is the leader of the X-Men? He's here in Japan, too!?"

"Oh no, Ami. No no, no no no, just…NO," snapped Makoto. "Bad enough you went completely ga-ga over the big, blue furball. Don't go gushing over another scientist from across the Pacific, not now. Focus, girl…"

"Oh, right right," said Ami quickly, turning to Usagi. "So, I guess Xavier was curious about why you were reading his book?"

"Just _WHY_ are you torturing yourself with all this reading material about mutants anyway, Usagi?" Luna demanded bluntly. "I think it's about time you came clean."

Usagi turned to Luna, looking ready to cry, but then her gaze hardened. "Not important right now," she replied with a scowl. "Makoto's right, we need to decide what to do about Xavier. And I think we should get him to help us."

"Usagi, it's a rhetorical question at this point, but… ARE YOU DAFT!?" cried Rei. "We don't know what the X-Men want with Eclipse, or how far they'll go to get their hands on her!"

"I'm with Rei," said Haruka. "It's too early to trust these mutants."

"Too early to trust mutants who once saved our entire country from sinking into the ocean, Haruka!?" spat Usagi. "To trust the superhero team that's always there when Magneto is pulling something dirty!? I don't know about the rest of you, but I think they've _EARNED_ the benefit of the doubt!"

"OK…Kenji-papa's fanboyism's rubbed off on someone," grumbled Chibiusa.

"Oh you muzzle it," barked Usagi. "Am I really the _ONLY ONE_ who thinks that maybe, just _MAYBE_ , the superheroes that know the most about mutants being in Japan might be a godsend!?"

Ami was willing to entertain the notion, and not just due to her admiration for Dr. McCoy and Professor Xavier. She looked to the batch of chemicals on the table, the last round of catalyzation done, ready for the next step. Completion was still days away, while the X-Men might have a better plan already. If they could get Eclipse off the streets and find out how she was connected to the Dark Kingdom, did it matter _WHO_ accomplished that, or where Eclipse was taken afterward? "I think Usagi may be on to something. The X-Men have much more experience in matters like this."

"But can we trust them?" asked Minako. "Sure, they go after Magneto when he gets out of line, but didn't they welcome him with open arms at one point? And Artemis made it sound like they considered busting into the shrine and stealing your work an option."

"Yeah, the one called Remy LeBeau flat-out said he was a thief, with pride," said Artemis. "Must be a good one too, if he can steal a kiss from Haruka…"

Perhaps Dr. McCoy didn't outclass the Sailor Senshi in speed by much. Because in an eyeblink, both Minako and Haruka were over Artemis, pressing his face down onto the table while wearing exasperated, nervous looks. Looks that couldn't be in starker contrast with Michiru's, who sauntered up behind them. "Oh, what's this about a stolen kiss?" she asked sweetly with a sardonic smile.

Understandably, Haruka looked horribly flustered, but Minako looked uneasy as well for whatever reason. Neither had a good answer ready, but Artemis spoke up for them. "Oh, Haruka made a wager for nearly eleven thousand yen and lost, but Remy just stole a kiss as payment instead."

"Artemis, when you're in a hole, STOP DIGGING!" Minako roared as she picked the cat up and shook him violently. Haruka, meanwhile, looked completely shellshocked. It was clear Haruka would've rather ponied up those eleven thousand yen.

"So not only did you let a guy sneak in a kiss, but you lost a bet as well?" Michiru asked with a sly smile. Leave it to Michiru to abandon all sense of seriousness, just to troll Haruka a little.

"It…wasn't really even a kiss," Haruka protested, feeling the weight of all the incredulous stares. "He just pecked me on the cheek and left the arcade before I could do anything."

"Wait, the arcade?" demanded Usagi. "Don't tell me this bet involved that racing game!"

Haruka facepalmed. "You picked a real good day to play Little Miss Detective, Odango."

"Ummmm, I think our little discussion has veered off on a tangent long enough," Ami interjected delicately.

"Agreed. We still have the small matter of a rival superhero team threatening to beat us to the draw here," Rei added.

"Fine by me," said Haruka, ignoring Michiru's lingering, taunting gaze. "Let's get back to what really matters."

Minako slithered up next to Haruka. "Do I still get the dirtbike?" she whispered through gritted teeth. Her only response was a death glare from Haruka.

"For one thing, one or two of us will need to stand guard in this room at all times, until Eclipse is brought down," said Mamoru. "If this…thief is out there, we can't take chances." Many of the Senshi nodded in agreement, but Ami could still sense a feeling of futility that matched her own. Never before had anyone else learned how important this shrine was to the Sailor Senshi. For so long, it had been their home base, and offered a sense of sanctuary. Now that had been shattered in an instant. These were the toughest mutants on the planet. If the X-Men really wanted her weapon destroyed, they could storm the shrine with little effort.

"And we'd all best take a hint from our princess and read up on these X-Men," added Michiru. "As it stands now, there are at least ten of them here in Japan. We're already outnumbered, so it's best there are no surprises regarding just what they can do."

If Usagi was flattered by Michiru insisting she had the right idea, she certainly didn't show it. "So that's it? We really _ARE_ going to assume the X-Men are our enemies, just like that!?" Usagi cried in disbelief. She looked around to everyone else, and clearly didn't like what she was seeing. Ami wondered if she was keeping her own trepidation regarding a potential out of her expression.

"Usa-ko, _YOU'RE_ the one who insisted we have this meeting right away," Mamoru pointed out.

"And now I'm regretting it!" spat Usagi. "I admit it, I was afraid when I figured out who really came up to me in the park. I freaked out, and it didn't take long to see how stupid that was. I figured everyone else would figure it out by the time we got here, how dumb it is to be scared of the X-Men. They can help us! They've helped with so many other problems involving mutants in the past!"

"This is…different, Usagi," said Makoto, though her tone didn't exactly betray confidence in those words. "The Dark Kingdom is involved, something they've never dealt with before. And we still don't know why they're getting mixed up in this."

"So we assume the worst? Why! Because they're mutants!? So they must be the bad guys too!?" Usagi roared. "So much for us being the guardians of love and justice if that's how we're looking at it!"

"Usagi, you're…not thinking straight," Luna pleaded. "We can all tell there's _SOMETHING_ regarding mutants that's troubling you, but…"

"But what, Luna!?" Usagi bit back, cutting her off. "If the X-Men can figure out how to bring down Eclipse and get answers out of her, shouldn't that be enough?"

Those were sentiments that echoed Ami's perfectly, so she spoke up again. "I really do think Usagi is on to something. My weapon's nowhere near ready, and we won't really know if it's efficacious until we use it on Eclipse herself. The X-Men might be able to take down Eclipse far sooner. If I could find Dr. McCoy again, convince him to be frank with me…"

"He was probably pumping you for information before as hard as Kitty was pumping me, and this Logan guy was pumping Rei," Makoto cut in. "I'm sorry, Ami, but I'm with Michiru. Best to know exactly what we're dealing with. Assume these guys intend to grab Eclipse by any means necessary."

Ami saw that Usagi was glaring at Makoto with absolute disgust. "I…can't believe you, Makoto," she grumbled. "You, of all people, who knows how much it hurts for everyone to think you're just a brute…" Usagi looked all around the room again, taking in how everyone had fixed bemused glares upon her. "I thought enough of you would give the X-Men the benefit of the doubt, but so far only Ami's considering it, and even she doesn't look too confident." Ami's face fell a little. "Forget it, people. Last I checked, I _AM_ the princess. And I say we give the X-Men a chance! So I'm going to go find them and see just what it is they want!" With that, Usagi turned to storm out.

"Usagi, just how to do intend to find them?" Ami asked before she could.

Usagi glared at her over her shoulder. "A bald guy in a plastic wheelchair, flanked by a dark-skinned lady with white hair and a big, blue furry guy? It's not like they'll blend in." And then she was gone, and Ami could already hear her footfalls slamming against the shrine's stone steps.

Luna shook her head after watching her go. "Just perfect. Every time I think she's matured, some stupid whim comes over her. Artemis, come on, we'd better go after her."

"I'm coming with you," said Chibiusa. "If Usagi _DOES_ find them, I have a question or two for that big guy myself."

"I'll tag along too, in case some extra firepower is needed," Minako chimed in. Silence fell over the room for some time after all the hasty departures, broken by one of Haruka's frustrated outbursts.

"While I'm as disappointed as ever by the naïveté of our princess, I must concede she has the right idea. Regarding going out and seeking to _DO_ something," spat Haruka.

"Well, I'm all for trying something ourselves instead of hoping some foreign superhero team can solve our problems for us," Makoto said in agreement.

"So, what's your plan?" Ami demanded.

"Very simple," said Haruka with a wicked smirk. "Eclipse has mostly been targeting yakuza. And my contacts hinted at a possible big meeting of one yakuza group, near where we fought her last time, to discuss the Eclipse threat. Apparently, they're considering seeking the help of this Hashida clan or something, but that's neither here nor there. All I care about is catching Eclipse in the act and taking her down. Michiru, you with me?"

Michiru hesitated only a moment, as if distracted. "Always, Haruka. I was…just thinking for a moment if Usagi had a point. Than man in the museum… Whatever is otherworldly about the woman with him, there was still a…purity to his spirit, so to speak. And a sadness. It makes me wonder if Usagi may have a point."

"Don't you start going soft, too," said Haruka. "You were more eager than ever to get to Eclipse. Even if we have to go through your fellow artist, we must…" Haruka suddenly stopped, staring in Ami's direction.

"What is it?" asked Ami, then she realized Haruka was not staring at her, but something on the table beside her. Haruka lunged over and pulled up a flyer that had been under a stack of books. For a moment, Haruka stared at it. Ami thought the light in the shrine was playing tricks on her eyes, because it looked like Haruka's face was losing a little color. "Why…are you so interested in that, Haruka? It's about a robotics seminar. I really wanted to go, but I'm afraid work on this weapon will keep me from attending, so…"

"Now I'm curious, too," said Michiru. "I haven't seen you this terrified since Mistress 9 had us ensnared. What's going…"

"I'll explain on the way," said Haruka quickly. "Come on." With that, Haruka took Michiru's hand in hers and dragged her out of the shrine.

Rei watched them go, then said, "Well, two more of our number out the door to blunder about. What about the rest of us?"

"Like I said before, we need people here, guarding the chemicals," said Mamoru. He was trying to sound resolute, but it was clear Usagi's tirade hit him the hardest. He wanted to respect his girlfriend's wishes, but clearly dreaded he'd soon sense Usagi transforming out of the need to tackle mutants. "And if Eclipse does turn up somewhere, Ami and Makoto need to be on standby. Without the weapon ready, you two are our only way to get to Eclipse without killing her." Ami nodded, understanding the logic. But this was fast dissolving into a mess in which even the most calculating logic might not be enough to get results.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The wind rushing past Haruka had felt good as she sped down the streets of Tokyo after sundown, Michiru clinging on delightfully tight behind her. The fact that, thanks to Artemis, she could weasel out of that 'agreement' with Minako to lend her her dirtbike made the thrill of riding it even sweeter. It was a temporary respite, however, from what was plaguing Haruka's mind. Bad enough that Usagi was acting on her own, and so rashly too. Yes, it would be good if they could trust these X-Men, but there was too much risk involved, at least at the moment. The fact that Michiru had sensed something funny from one of their number didn't help her mood any, either.

And then there was what she had glimpsed on that flyer of Ami's. Naturally, she couldn't really discuss it with Michiru while they had helmets on and the wind rushed past them. Soon enough, however, they reached their destination, and had to start skulking through the darkness of the alleyways, leaving the dirtbike behind. It wasn't long before Michiru brought it up again. "Haruka, what's going on? What was it on Ami's seminar flyer that had you so spooked?"

Haruka said nothing. She merely took it out of her pocket, unfolded it, and shoved it in Michiru's face. "Tell me, doesn't this woman look a tad…familiar?"

Michiru scrutinized the photo in the flyer for a moment. "Some woman in a lab coat with stupidly dark glasses, long black hair…" she muttered. "Why would any of that spook you so? She's just a robotics…" Michiru's eyes widened as the realization hit her like a descending moon. "That woman, Telulu and Viluy's first victim, back before they had Daimon… You don't suppose…"

Haruka nodded stiffly. "You remember, don't you? How radically different her pure heart looked? Something tells me that's indicative of anyone who's has been corrupted by such evil."

Unsurprisingly, Michiru gazed away from Haruka, looking quite flustered. "And something tells me this makes it even less likely Usagi can do anything with the Ginzuishou."

"Well, we won't know about that until we've pounded Eclipse within an inch of her life and thrown her at the princess's feet so she can try," said Haruka. "So let's get moving."

"You…really think it's this engineer?" Michiru went on. "It…still feels a bit of a stretch."

"Don't you also remember the thinly-veiled threat she uttered?" Haruka shot back. "We dismissed it at the time, but now it's obvious we handed her ample time to brings her plans, whatever they are, to fruition."

"So why are we here tonight, instead of breaking down her door and shaking her down?" asked Michiru.

"Because, with such a juicy, yakuza-flavored target, if she's away from home, she'll be casing this place," said Haruka. "Better to catch her in the act."

Michiru just stared back at Haruka for a moment, then nodded. With that, the two of them descended down into the alley toward their target, or rather Eclipse's most likely one. As they drew closer, Haruka was certain she caught the sensation of something…slippery in the winds. Something foreboding. But just like everything else involved with pinning down Eclipse, it seemed to slip away as soon as it came. Haruka looked over to Michiru, and the unease she saw in her partner's eyes told Haruka it was the same story with her. Something gurgling in storm waters, something that didn't fit like noxious oil, only to somehow seep away when that should be impossible.

It was enough to convince them that their presence would be needed tonight, so they trudged onward, careful to make as little noise as possible. They were getting close to where Haruka's informants said the meeting would take place. Despite her eagerness to take the fight to Eclipse again, Haruka didn't let herself become too focused on any one thing. So soon, she held up a hand to get Michiru to stay back, sensing something else on the winds.

"What's wrong, Haruka?" Michiru whispered, knowing Haruka must have sensed something that eluded her. "Please tell me you're having better luck pinning down this mutant than I am."

"I don't think it's that particular mutant," Haruka hissed back as she cautiously turned a corner. Ducking behind a dumpster for cover, she motioned for Michiru to follow. Michiru opened her mouth, as if to ask what was the matter, then she looked across the alley. She then saw they weren't the only pair stealthily skulking in Tokyo's alleyways. There, at the other end of the alley, were two men. One with short brown hair wearing a brown coat, and the other…

Michiru gasped, despite herself. "That's Peter… From the art museum."

Haruka looked over to the pair of mutant men. That bigger one, he could definitely move silently with little apparent effort, despite his size. Still, he was a bit too big for any serious attempt at stealth. "Hmph, an odd partner for a thief in the night."

"A…thief? Oh, so _THAT'S_ the man from the arcade," Michiru whispered teasingly.

"Not now, Michiru," Haruka hissed back.

"I am confused, Remy," said Peter suddenly. He was doing a good job of keeping his voice to a minimum, but it wasn't enough to escape Haruka's sharp hearing. The fact that they spoke in English amongst themselves posed no problems either. "Wouldn't Logan have been a better choice to accompany you on this stakeout? After all, he is far more familiar with Japan and its underworld than the rest of us, even you."

"Oh, we all had our misadventures in the Land of the Rising Sun, some more than others," Remy replied. "But that's the thing, Pete. These yakuza yucksters would be expectin' the 'gaijin' to come sniffin' about." It was somehow disconcerting, hearing that Japanese word spoken perfectly, and in context, by someone speaking in English. "They probably already know he's back in the country, and are watchin' for 'im. Hell, they probably already know he shook down some low-level thugs for the intel we got. Besides, you're the better choice if we do find Eclipse tonight. We need someone rock solid to hold her down, not carve her up. And Nathan's close by, in case we be needin' more backup."

 _So, they had the same idea,_ Haruka realized. _This complicates matters. And who could this 'Nathan' be? And I don't know why, but it bothers me how Remy used the word 'gaijin'. These X-Men have clearly had dealings in Japan far more often than even Usagi let on._ Not that any of that mattered. If they had to fight their way past these mutants to bring down Eclipse, then that's what they would do. Still, Usagi was at least right in that they shouldn't exactly go _LOOKING_ for a fight with the X-Men. So they let Remy and Peter creep out of the alley, and waited a few moments before continuing down the alleyway.

"I don't like this, Haruka," said Michiru. "There's the hope that they'll be as cooperative as Usagi thinks they are, but I sense the seas are about to start churning."

"Then we just keep our distance, and if Eclipse appears, we just hope we're in a position to descend on her first," Haruka replied. They crept to the other end of the alley, and Haruka peeked around a corner. It was a wide-open paved area with some run-down buildings, but no sign of either mutant. Peter, given his size, would stand out, but Remy could probably blend into the gloom with relative ease. Granted, there were a surprising amount of lamplights in this run-down portion of town, but Haruka suspected Remy was a good enough thief to work around such obstacles. "I don't spot either of them," Haruka said at length. "What about your mirror? Any chance these two mutants won't throw it off like Eclipse does?"

"Hmmm, it's not meant to work like this Cerebro of theirs, but I'll give it a try," said Michiru, looking into her mirror. "No sign of Eclipse's dark energy. But those two… Uh-oh."

"I was hoping for a bit more enthusiasm if our paths crossed again, Michiru," came Peter's voice from behind them, but this time speaking in Japanese, making them whirl around. His arms were folded, looking every bit the immovable rock that Remy was counting on.

Remy was there too, smirking at them. "And you, my dear Haruka Tenoh… Wasn't quite expectin' t' see you again tonight, either. In the mood to make things…interestin' again'?"

"No showboating Remy, please," snapped Peter. "There's a reason we're here tonight, and it sounds like Haruka and Michiru have similar motivations."

Haruka could only stare back at the two mutants, nonplussed by how they managed to sneak up on them like this. She realized she had foolishly underestimated them again. It looked like Usagi's suspicion that these were seasoned veterans of the X-Men was on the money. Eventually, it was Michiru who spoke up instead. "So, Peter… I take it you're out tonight as part of your venture to make up for past mistakes?"

"Him and me both, _chére_ ," said Remy, his smile broadening. Haruka bristled at hearing that. Bad enough he stole a kiss, but now he had to flirt with her partner too, in her presence!? "I also made decisions I'm none too proud of. But as I told your lovely partner here, it ain't stoppin' me from helpin' my friends pursue a dream…"

"The question is, Michiru, are you?" Peter continued. "We overheard you talking about Eclipse, and something tells me you overheard us talking about the same mutant. We're both here for the same reason, but do we have the same end goal in sight?"

"That depends," said Haruka dangerously. "A…friend of ours also overheard Remy earlier today, talking about finding Eclipse. We'd sure like to know what you intend to do with this butcher once you find her."

"'Butcher'? A bit harsh, don't you think, Haruka?" Remy challenged slyly. "We all been readin' the same reports. This little lady loves crackin' herself some skulls, but she's no killer."

"She's getting closer to crossing that line," Michiru shot back. "At the museum, after I met you Peter, the curator was brutally assaulted, and we have good reason to believe Eclipse was the perpetrator."

"We are aware of that," Peter said stoically. "Anna-Marie and I left too early to prevent that, which is why we're here tonight."

"That curator had yakuza ties, y'see," said Remy. "There's a pattern. So we figured we'd case the most tempting yakuza-flavored dessert on the menu tonight. And I'm guessin' you two had the same idea."

"You seem to read us quite well, Remy," said Haruka, an acerbic bite to her voice. "I confess we're having some difficulty reading the two of you. Again, we'd like to know what it is you want with Eclipse if you subdue her tonight."

"Is that really any of your concern?" Peter asked dangerously.

"She nearly buried us in rubble days ago. On top of that, she must face justice here in our country, so Eclipse is very much our concern," Michiru shot back challengingly. "If you two are who we think you are, we can't allow you to take her out of Japan."

"Lastly, Eclipse has some connection to an old enemy," added Haruka. "Even if we could condone Eclipse being taken away, we can't allow that until we've gotten answers."

Remy and Peter exchanged furtive looks. Remy then looked back, a dangerous warmth to his smile now. "Does it really gotta be all or nothin', ladies? I think we can cut a deal here. We…got ways of pryin' answers from zipped lips. We be here lookin' for answers, too. So if you let us take the poor dear where flipped-out mutants can be incarcerated safely while gettin' them some mental help, we'll be more than happy to share vital intel regardin' your supervillains, no?"

"It's…hard to trust someone so boastful about being a thief," said Haruka.

"Especially one who stole a kiss from you," Michiru hissed to her.

"Really, Michiru? NOW!?" Haruka demanded vehemently.

"Agreed, there are more serious matters to discuss. Bottom line, boys, is that Eclipse is connected to our old enemy, and thus is ours to deal with," Michiru spat.

"Michiru, I implore you. Back in the museum, I truly sensed that you wished to avoid any more tragic mistakes," Peter pleaded. "Can you be certain that you're not…" Peter's words trailed off as his head abruptly jerked up, as if he suddenly heard something peculiar. Haruka heard nothing, though. However, when she also noticed Remy's head turning to the side, seemingly lost in thought, she had a good suspicion regarding what they 'heard'.

"Michiru, Eclipse must be here already!" Haruka cried. "These two…there's a telepath among them, remember? They must've gotten a psychic message about her."

"You're right," said Michiru, looking down into her mirror. "The signs of dark energy… They're faint and elusive, like before, but they're there."

"Then let's not waste any more time talking," said Haruka, pulling out her transformation stick. Michiru likewise stowed away her mirror and produced hers. "They already suspect who we really are, and we already have a good idea who they are, so time to drop all pretense. Uranus Planet Power, Makeup!"

"Neptune Planet Power, Makeup!"

And so, they transformed into Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune right in front of the two mutants, all cares for their secret identities abandoned. Remy and Peter, meanwhile, just stood there, and when their transformations were complete, they didn't seem perturbed at all. As if this was nothing out of the ordinary. Even Remy's insufferable grin was the same, exuding the usual charm and warmth. "Ah, so that's how Sailor Senshi access their powers," he said silkily. "As the big blue furball might say…'Fascinating'. In fact, Pete here… He got somethin' like that, too. Go on, Pete. Show 'em why we call you 'Colossus'…"

Peter took a couple steps forward, but Uranus and Neptune stood their ground, confident they could handle whatever the big brute could throw at them. That is, until they sensed a strange energy flowing over him. An instant later, they could see energy crackling all over his huge frame, and he spread his arms, letting out a howl. Uranus and Neptune took an involuntary step back as he seemed to grow bigger, his white shirt ripping to shreds, though his cargo pants seemed to stretch to accommodate his transformation. But it wasn't just his size that was changing. His very skin, it seemed to be glowing. No, not glowing… Reflecting the faint lamplight! Peter's flesh was becoming segmented steel, the transformation starting at his head and chest, traveling down his arms! When it was done, Peter looked to be nearly half a meter taller, his skin now some sort of living metal!

Uranus could only stare for a moment as this massive steel golem of a man glared back at them. Despite always believing she would be ready for anything, she hadn't quite expected to see a mutant power like _THIS_. First a woman with a personal oil slick, now a man with skin that changed into solid steel? Michiru didn't seem quite so fazed. "Indeed, that's a _VERY_ good reason to call him 'Colossus'…"

"It's regrettable that I must use this form against heroes like the Sailor Senshi," said Peter. "But by transforming yourselves, you've shown you are unwilling to listen to reason."

"As for me ladies, they call me 'Gambit'," Remy chimed in. "My card. Or rather, cards." Using that amazing dexterity of his, quick as a flash he whipped some playing cards out of his coat. Uranus tensed, wondering just what this could be about. Then she noticed something odd about his eyes. The whites of 'Gambit's' eyes…they suddenly seemed to darken, shining like a blacklight. And his irises went from a dull brown, to glowing with a dangerous, intense pinkish-red shade. Gambit waved his arm in front of him, the cards he was holding somehow suspended in midair in an arc. These, too, glowed and crackled with a ferocious pinkish-red light. It was only for a split-second, as the cards suddenly shot up into the air leaving blazing pinkish-red trails, then came down toward the two Senshi.

Uranus wasn't quite sure what Gambit's cards were supposed to do, but she knew it couldn't be good. Both she and Neptune jumped back as the cards came down, striking the concrete with ferocious, explosive force that rattled their skulls. Chunks of concrete flew up everywhere, forcing them to shield their eyes. Uranus quickly realized it was only meant to distract them. Gambit and Colossus charged, no doubt to restrain them while another X-Man moved in on Eclipse. That could not be allowed. Eclipse was _THEIRS_ to deal with, and if they had to fight past other superheroes to do so, so be it. Uranus righted herself, collecting energy in her fist. "World Shaking!" she roared, striking the ground and sending out her concentrated ball of wind energy.

However, Colossus seemed to be expecting that. He dashed in front of Gambit, hunched down, and grabbed Uranus's attack as if it were a physical thing. It took a visible effort for Colossus to hold it back, but he stood his ground. "Such power… Little wonder you've been able to defend Japan for so long. Thankfully, it is nothing a I cannot handle," said Colossus stoically. With a snarl, he hurled it aside, down the alley they all had come down.

Colossus ignored how old tires, a dumpster, broken pallets and other garbage flew out of the alley, littering the place. He charged forward again, but amazingly, Neptune charged at him. Uranus couldn't believe it at first. Anyone with the strength and endurance to push aside Uranus's attack like that couldn't be bested in a physical contest. Of course, Neptune, being as clever as she was, knew that already. As Colossus closed in, Michiru ducked and slid underneath him while producing her Deep Aqua Mirror. "Submarine Reflection!" she cried before Colossus could turn around. The intense surge of watery energy was enough to blast the massive mutant off his feet, sending him flying into an abandoned three-story building.

Uranus spared a glance to watch the front half of the building collapse in on itself. So the two of them managed to draw first blood, but something told Uranus that Colossus could easily take abuse like that, and then some.

For the moment, however, Uranus had her own problems. Gambit was closing in, and had somehow produced a metal staff. Uranus produced her Space Sword, countering Gambit's staff strike just in time. But Gambit proved to be as swift and wily as ever, swinging his staff around and down to trip Uranus up. Uranus effortlessly backflipped out of the way toward a wall, kicking off of it to come at Gambit again, ready to bring her sword down.

This time, it was Gambit who barely brought up his weapon in time to deflect a blow. She managed to stagger him for a split-second, enabling Uranus to force him back with a kick to his midsection once her feet were planted. It knocked the wind out of him for a moment, knocking him to the ground. Uranus didn't hesitate to move in, and with Colossus out of the way for the moment, Neptune could also focus on Gambit. Gambit, however, didn't look bothered by their two-to-one advantage. The insufferable mutant was smirking again! And it soon became apparent why. As the two Senshi closed in, Gambit simply rolled to the side, revealing he had charged up one of the concrete chunks the way he did those playing cards. Uranus and Neptune realized their blunder just as it detonated, sending them flying a few meters in opposite directions. Once Uranus's vision cleared after springing back to her feet, she saw Colossus rise from the rubble, and he immediately charged back toward the melee.

Not that Uranus didn't already have another mutant to worry about. Gambit moved in again, staff twirling. With a snarl, Uranus rushed to meet him, parrying his staff strikes with her Space Sword as best she could while looking for any openings. It proved to be quite the challenge, however, as Gambit deftly countered her strikes whenever Uranus thought she could get a hit in.

"Many thanks, _chére_ ," Gambit beamed at Uranus as staff kept clashing against sword. "This be way better than just getting a kiss in. I thought I'd only get to mess up a yakuza thug or two after touchin' down in Japan. This provin' to be a way more fun workout! Never a dull moment when the X-Men visit your country."

"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet," Uranus spat back defiantly, determined to wipe that grin off Gambit's face. But at things stood, it almost looked to be a stalemate. The two of them were about equal in terms of speed and fighting talent. However, while Uranus had an edge in brute strength, Gambit made up for it with his dexterity, quick thinking, and clever use of his powers.

Neptune didn't seem to be doing much better. Uranus didn't dare take her eyes off Gambit as their duel raged on. But in her peripheral vision, she saw Neptune get hurled across the paved lot a good few meters, screaming after Colossus finally landed a blow. Uranus felt a sickening sense of dread, suspecting that Colossus was pulling his punches. That even in her transformed state, Neptune wouldn't survive if he used his full strength. Colossus moved in again, only to take Neptune's Deep Submerge at nearly point-blank range. Uranus suspected that Colossus's armored form could easily stand up to pressures like those at the ocean floor, though.

At the moment, she still had to worry about Gambit, and kept looking for openings in his defense. They had to beat the X-Men back, now that it was almost a certainty that Eclipse was here and these two were running interference. They all but admitted they wanted to take Eclipse out of the country, and Uranus didn't trust them to share any information. But for the moment, she had to admit Gambit and Colossus were doing a masterful job of keeping the two of them occupied. Perhaps it wouldn't have hurt to try and get some of the other Sailor Senshi to join in…

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Rei watched Ami and Mamoru work on the next phase of their weapon, not really having anything better to do. Something Rei tried to convince herself of, only she knew it was a lie. She knew she should be back in front of the shrine's hearth, doing whatever she could to pinpoint where Eclipse was, or discover her identity. Of course, Rei felt she had good reason to avoid trying again. The man with such unimaginable psychic power, now right here in the city? Well, according to Usagi, it was definitely him. And some instinct told Rei this was one of those few times that Usagi was absolutely right.

 _I wonder if Usagi is also right about being able to trust this Charles Xavier,_ Rei silently mused as she watched Ami and Mamoru toil on. Rei would like to think that he could. Usagi certainly seemed to believe so, storming off in a flurry of frustration and shame to find him. Like her, Usagi was terrified when she figured out how powerful he really was, but somehow worked past that fear in short order. Rei found herself envying the courage of Usagi, of all people, to master that sort of fear. She could only hope it didn't lead to a huge blunder on Usagi's part. _Even Haruka and Michiru agreed with me. There's still too little we know about these X-Men, and they have too much on us._

Rei wasn't the only one helping stand watch in their makeshift lab. Makoto was pacing around, looking even more restless. She had had her own disconcerting encounter with these X-Men earlier. Like with how Xavier far outclassed Rei's psychic abilities, the physical prowess of this Hank McCoy was supposed to exceed hers, according to Ami. And this Kitty Pryde seemed to have a way of getting in your head with no psychic abilities at all. There was still a chance it wouldn't come to fighting past these X-Men, but Rei didn't find herself very hopeful. She doubted anyone in this lab was. Ami and Mamoru were engrossed in their work, but Rei didn't need any empathic abilities to sense the anxiety radiating off of them. All of them were on pins and needles, expecting trouble at any moment. That was something else that was galling. How easily these X-Men figured out their shrine served as a meeting place, a headquarters of sorts. Being here always gave the Sailor Senshi a sense of safety, but now it proved to be illusory. At best, they had to watch for a thief in the night. At worst, a tornado could flatten the place without warning.

So it was no surprise the others jumped when Rei's communicator watch went off. Rei yelped a little as well. _It looks like if there's action tonight, it won't be here at the shrine,_ Rei realized as she flipped it open. No image came through, just audio. _That could only mean someone's contacting me after having transformed._ Out loud, she said, "Rei here. Who is this, and what's going on?"

"The second time Uranus and I bit off more than we can chew when it comes to mutants, that's what!" came Michiru's barking voice. Rei could also hear grunts and crashing sounds coming through the feed. "Haruka was right… Eclipse is making a move, but there are two X-Men keeping us from getting to her while another of their number… Oh great… SUBMARINE REFLECTION!"

The sound of Neptune's attack shrilled within their makeshift lab. By now, Ami and Mamoru had turned away from their work, grave looks on their faces. Makoto looked expectant, cracking her knuckles. After a few tense moments, Neptune spoke up again. "We're barely holding these two off by ourselves. One of them turned his skin into living steel, the other charges up exploding playing cards…"

"We're on our way, then," said Rei quickly. "We'll get these mutants off your back."

"NO! Don't come for US!" Neptune cried. "We'll keep these two occupied. Ami and Makoto need to get over here. Fight past whichever X-Man is moving in on Eclipse, and use their powers to knock her out! And then maybe… Oh no, here he comes again…"

And with that, the feed was cut off. Rei just stared at her communicator watch for a moment, then Makoto broke the silence. "Y'know, at first I thought it was nice that we kept catching those two in situations where they got in over their heads. Now the allure's definitely wore off."

"So what do we do?" demanded Ami anxiously.

"Exactly what Michiru said. For once, she's on the money," said Makoto. "It's go time, with or without your chemical weapon. You and I get over there, blast Eclipse into oblivion, then drag her somewhere where we can force answers out of her."

"That may not be enough," said Rei as she fiddled with her watch. "Minako, red alert. Eclipse showed where Michiru and Haruka were heading, but the X-Men are keeping them from her. They need backup, and five minutes ago."

"Got it!" said Minako, her face beaming back at Rei. "Me, Chibiusa and the cats are on our way."

"Now let's hope Usagi's not too smitten by these mutants to forget which team she's on," Rei grumbled as she fiddled with her communicator again. "Usagi, are you there?" Usagi's face didn't show up on her communicator, there was no response at all. "Damnit, Usagi, answer! Haruka and Michiru ran into two of the X-Men, and they're keeping them from Eclipse! Some metal man and a guy who throws exploding cards! Minako and Chibiusa are en route, but they may need even more help, and…"

"I hear you, Rei!" spat Usagi, her exasperated face blinking into existence on Rei's communicator. "Don't worry, I'll meet up with Minako and Chibiusa on the way there! No way we can let Haruka and Michiru handle Gambit and Colossus by themselves." And then Usagi's face vanished as quickly as it had appearing, leaving Rei to let out a sigh. It took a moment for something to click for Rei. Usagi knew the names of these two X-Men, just from hearing what their powers were. As amazing as it sounded, Usagi really had read up on all of them. Whatever had her worked up over mutants, it was enough to motivate her to do real research.

It was something Rei could dwell on later, though. "OK people, Usagi and the rest will probably get there ahead of us to lend Michiru and Haruka a hand. We'd better get over there so we can fight past whoever's moving in on Eclipse."

"Not all of us, Rei," said Mamoru. "We need people standing watch over the chemicals, remember? The X-Men could be waiting for an opportunity like this. You and I should stay. It's Ami and Makoto who are needed."

"Mamoru, are you serious?" Rei spat incredulously.

Just then, Mamoru faltered, having to cling to the table. "Considering that I just sensed Usagi transforming and I'm not rushing to her side, very," he groaned. "I'll…just have to trust the others to watch Sailor Moon's back."

"He's right, Rei," Ami chimed in. "If Makoto and I fail to subdue Eclipse and she gets away, we'll need this weapon to fall back on. We can't risk losing it."

"Now that it's decided, can we go?" Makoto asked delicately. "I've been in the mood for a little action all day." Ami nodded stiffly to Makoto, and the two of them charged out of the laboratory. Rei watched them go, feeling somewhat ashamed that part of her was glad that she herself wouldn't be part of this battle. That she wouldn't run the risk of confronting that telepath's power again. It once again made Rei envious of how Usagi had the courage to seek out this Charles Xavier, and made her consider the blond ditz could actually be right about something…

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Gai Izumi grumbled as he proceeded to mop up the floor, glowering at his fuzzy, watery reflection. Once he was a yakuza enforcer, albeit a low-level one. Now he was bouncing between his role as a double-agent going back to that position, and moonlighting as a janitor at his aunt's facility. In the middle of some outlandish operation that involved the Sailor Senshi, superpowered schoolgirls that incinerated bizarre monsters every other week, with mutant superheroes now thrown into the mix. And one of the latter had a reputation for carving up yakuza who happened to be in his way, at that. He looked down at the stub where his pinky once was, grunting. Gai knew working with his aunt might put him in the crosshairs of both groups, but it didn't make it any less worrisome. You knew a hurricane was coming, yet it didn't make the prospect of riding it out any more bearable.

Still, Gai realized he had little choice in the matter. Erina had pulled his fat out of the fire more than once, and he owed her. No, more than that. He owed his aunt for seeing something in him, something honorable, when the rest of their family was ready to write him off as a dishonorable failure and wretch. It was really only that sense of obligation to Erina that kept Gai at it. He cared little for her vendetta against the Sailor Senshi, though he did empathize with some aspects of her other goals. On top of that, Gai admitted there was a little thrill in scheming to upend so much. Gai could definitely empathize with how mutants were looked down upon, cast out for the stupidest reasons. Feeling that sort of pain wasn't exclusive to _Homo superior_. Well, once his aunt had her way, things wouldn't be the same in Japan again…

But in the meantime, Gai had to suffer the ignominy of doing janitorial work. Thankfully, it was later in the evening, and most of the employees had shuffled out. So there were few left to see the lowly new contractual hire going about his work, leaving Gai to feel a little less self-conscious. Though it was less galling than Gai figured it would be, he also found it quite boring.

Unfortunately for Gai, the evening was about to get livelier, but not exactly in a good way. His watch began to beep. Erina said she had gotten the idea for a communicator watch from the Sailor Senshi themselves. Gai hoped that whatever his aunt was contacting him about, it didn't exactly have to do with those girls.

Gai anxiously glanced around. Satisfied that no one was in the vicinity to overhear, he hit a button on his watch, holding it up to his face. "Gai here, Aunt Erina. What's…"

"We've got an emergency, Gai," came Erina's panicked voice. "But fortunately, we've already got a contingency plan in place."

"You mean the Sailor Senshi and the X-Men?" Gai asked anxiously. "They're already at it?"

"Yes, and if either team forces its way past the other, everything could be ruined!" cried Erina. "On top of that, I've been monitoring their shrine, and Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter just left. I don't need to remind you why _THOSE_ two Senshi are such a danger…" Gai gulped, knowing full well why the powers of those Senshi could bring all their plans crashing down. "Thankfully, there's no sign of Storm or Iceman rushing out to provide reinforcement for the X-Men, so fortune is still with us."

"How so?" asked Gai. "What do you need _ME_ to do?"

"What we discussed!" hissed Erina impatiently. "Not only is this the perfect opportunity for a test run, you're in a position to keep those two Senshi away, and thus both teams at loggerheads."

"Fine, I'm on it," said Gai. "You just stay safe."

"Easy for you to say, given your task," said his aunt tersely. "Erina out."

Gai grimaced at his watch a moment longer, then glanced around again. The hall was still devoid of any employees shuffling through. Confident that was coast was clear, Gai left behind the mop bucket and ran back to the janitor's closet. Gai wondered just when Erina had all these hidden little additions installed in her facility, like a ladder down into her 'private' office that revealed itself when he flipped a switch on his watch, making the mop basin slide away.

After hitting some more buttons on his watch to disable Erina's security countermeasures, Gai climbed down, darkness surrounding him for several moments, until some faint light shone up. It wasn't much, of course. Thanks to her sensitive eyes, Erina liked her secret office to be as dark as possible. It was just enough to let Gai know he was approaching his goal.

He dropped down and walked over to Erina's desk. As he approached, however, Gai noticed a couple odd things on a shelf beside her monitors. Some sort of jar that seemed to have part of a plant, but it was still alive, writhing within the glass. Not only that, it crackled with some intense, green energy, but couldn't break out. There was another containment jar right next to it, which at first seemed to be empty, but then Gai swore he saw tiny little…things whirring about inside like a tiny cyclone, also crackling with energy.

Whatever that stuff was, it only served to creep Gai out, and the weird stuff she collected was no concern of his anyway. So he turned away from the shelf and seated himself behind his aunt's desk. Erina must have remotely sent commands to her computers here to fire up and show Gai his quarry. She had discreetly set up cameras all over Tokyo at sensitive positions, to better monitor the Sailor Senshi. At the moment, one of the screens showed Gai a feed from the vantage point of a water tower, on a structure not too far from the Hikawa Shrine. Indeed, there were Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter, running across the rooftop, ready to jump to the next one.

"Good. I already know where you two are. It'll make the next part a tad less…messy," Gai thought aloud as he sat down and punched some keys. After logging in with the special passwords and server Erina had provided, he reached under the desk and out slid a special control interface. It was adapted from experimental technology used to control unmanned combat drones over vast distances. However, what Gai was about to take control of was far more sophisticated than any drone, though that did unnerve him. Just because he had yakuza ties didn't mean he was anxious to use something like this. But there was no choice. Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter had to be kept at bay, and furthermore, Erina was right about a test run being in order. So Gai punched in a few more commands, and a confirmation message flashed on another screen:

 **AUTHORIZATION ACCEPTED. LAUNCHING SENTINEL UNIT 135.**

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And so, it begins. Mutant vs. Senshi action, straight-up. Hopefully you dear readers who felt the setup for _Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice_ , and its big conflicts, were hard to swallow and lack proper buildup found the setup for this first clash believable and not too brief. I have a bit of doubt myself, but hey, if anyone on either team can be counted on to hold the Conflict Ball, it's Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune. Even Wolverine and Cable are safer bets to not bust faces first and ask questions never.

So long,

Grey-X


	8. Night of the Sentinel

Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 8: Night of the Sentinel

6-12-2017

By Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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As she and Sailor Jupiter bounded from one rooftop to the next, in a mad dash to reach the Outer Senshi before it was too late, Sailor Mercury kept her visor active. Along with her visor constantly feeding her the remaining distance, and the general direction they had to run in, Mercury figured it would give them warning in case anyone tried to intercept them. Despite how much she idolized Dr. McCoy, Mercury now realized she didn't know as much about his fellow X-Men as she should. Even Usagi seemed to know who it was Uranus and Neptune were trying to hold off! _Amazing as it sounds, Usagi's doing honest-to-god research of her own volition,_ Mercury realized. _She's not a mutant, so what is it that's pushing her do this?_ Mercury pushed her queries to the back of her mind. Whatever was bothering Usagi, it wasn't keeping her from doing what needed to be done. She was on her way to help the Outers, and the two of them wouldn't be far behind.

Along with paying close attention to the constant scans her visor was conducting, Mercury occasionally glanced up at the night sky, looking for signs of meteorological irregularities. No strange cloud formations rolled in, which was good news. If the X-Men had an inkling of what Eclipse's weaknesses were, Storm would surely be the one sent out. One of the most powerful mutants of all, and according to Usagi, she was here in Japan too. Along with Professor Charles Xavier, who Usagi figured was the X-Men's leader. Mercury could hardly believe it… Another one of her heroes from the United States, secretly the founder and leader of Dr. McCoy's group? He was the one who forced back Rei with psychic power alone? And now the Sailor Senshi had to fight them all!?

It still seemed so pointless, fighting the X-Men. The others could argue Usagi's judgment was influenced by…whatever had her preoccupied with mutants, but Mercury found herself agreeing with her. Then again, Mercury's own views could be slightly biased by her admiration for Professor Xavier and Dr. McCoy. _At any rate, if we can weaken Eclipse enough for Sailor Moon to use the Ginzuishou, that should be enough,_ Mercury reasoned. _After that, after we get some answers… We can decide who takes Eclipse where later._

"How much longer till we can officially rub it in the Outers' faces that we're doing their job for them again?" Jupiter suddenly asked as they neared the edge of another rooftop. As usual, she sounded way more confident about facing whatever they were charging into than Mercury did.

"Less than five kilometers now," Mercury replied. "Neptune and Uranus will just have to hold out a little bit longer."

"That's not the plan and you know it," said Jupiter. "Eclipse is our target, and boy am I itching for a rematch with that walking oil slick. What about you?"

Mercury sighed. Of course Jupiter was ready, willing and able to use force to solve this. Perhaps Eclipse deserved it. Perhaps she was cracking yakuza skulls because she wanted to, not because of some leftover corrupting influence of the Dark Kingdom. Still, something told Mercury there was more to this than met the eye. And like it or not, her powers were as crucial to bringing Eclipse down as Jupiter's. "Just be sure you leave her conscious enough to talk," said Mercury as they made their leap to the next rooftop. "And don't forget, we may have to fight past…"

There was a sudden whooshing sound, and Mercury was cut off as a deafening boom that rattled their skulls went off right below them, making them stumble and roll to a stop on the other rooftop. Whatever it was, it came too swiftly for Mercury's visor to warn them. It took a moment or two before they could sit up, just in time for an unwelcome sight. Whatever happened, it made their part of the roof cave in and collapse. There wasn't any time to jump away, and the roof slanted at an angle as it crumbled, making them roll off and plummet to the alley below.

Their Senshi transformations made it so the four-story fall wouldn't break any bones. Still, the impact hurt. A lot. They also had to cover their heads to shield themselves from some falling chunks of concrete. After the rain of masonry stopped and they could stand up, Jupiter wearily asked, "OK, have one of the X-Men found us already?" as she brushed herself off.

"I…don't think so," Mercury replied, whipping out her computer while studying what little her visor picked up during the attack. "That wasn't some focused energy attack. It was more like physical detonation, like a missile aimed at us."

"A missile?" Jupiter asked incredulously. "Don't tell me these X-Men are packing serious heat along with their mutant powers."

At first, Mercury said nothing, still trying to make sense of what data her computer fed her. Soon, though, it all became perfectly clear. There was something closing in on them via the air. Something very fast, and very _BIG_. "I…don't think so," Mercury repeated warily as she pointed up.

Then they heard it. The sound of rocket exhaust, hissing right above the alleyway. There was a huge shape illuminated by the glow of those rockets, coming from what looked like little jet turbines fixated at the back of its feet, its shoulders, and even out of its backside! It vaguely had a human shape, albeit much bigger, and with a huge jet engine welded into its chest!

Suddenly, the rocket propulsion died down. This…thing slammed down in front of the alley's entrance with a three-point landing, making a thunderous crash that almost knocked Mercury and Jupiter back down. The alleyway was still fairly dark, so it was hard to take note of distinct features on this mammoth creature. But Mercury could easily make out its…'face'. Glowing, golden eyes that seemed to be covered by a thick plexiglass casing. Along with its entire face, like a helmet's visor. The rest of this thing was covered in protective armor as well. Thick plates of some material colored a noxious purplish-blue, along with more lightly-armored sky-blue portions.

As the monstrous thing rose, a towering eight or nine meters easily, Mercury suddenly recalled something she came across while reading about Dr. Henry McCoy. Unsurprisingly, he spoke out often against the hatred and persecution mutants often endured, trying to convey the terror his kind often faced. And one of the most horrifying things sent out against mutants, according to Dr. McCoy, was…

"A Sentinel!" Mercury cried, almost overwhelmed by terror of her own. She read enough about what these things were capable of. "This thing's a combat drone, called a Sentinel! But…I thought they were all decommissioned! And they're only supposed to go after mutants!"

As if in answer to that last part, the Sentinel raised its right arm. Suddenly, its forearm changed shape in a flurry of shifting mechanical parts. What was now jutting out at the end of its arm… Mercury's eyes widened as she saw a minigun revving up. The Sailor Senshi never had to find out whether they could eat machine gun fire, and Mercury was in no mood to find out.

"Try telling this thing we're not mutants, then! I got a better idea, though… _MOVE IT_!" Jupiter screamed, grabbing Mercury as she turned and ran. The sound of minigun fire ripped through the alleyway, along with hundreds of bullets ripping into solid concrete. Thankfully, they exited the alleyway and turned the corner before the Sentinel could really get a bead on them. Jupiter and Mercury took a moment to catch their breath, pressing against the wall just next to the alleyway corner. It was fortunate that the Sentinel hadn't chased them out into a busy street. This part of the town, away from the road, looked more or less devoid of bystanders, and without too much chance of massive collateral damage. Plus, it looked wide-open enough to prevent the Sentinel from boxing them in. "OK, so these things are mutant-hunting robots, got it," wheezed Jupiter. "Please tell me you also know how McCoy and his fellow mutants deal with these things."

"I'm…not r-r-r-really sure," stammered Mercury as she peeked around the corner, hoping to get more scan data. The Sentinel was already on the move again, forelegs with powerful hydraulic pistons slamming into concrete. Mercury didn't have more than a few seconds before the Sentinel took aim again, forcing Mercury to duck back behind cover as dozens of rounds chipped away at solid brick. "I'm not detecting any readily exploitable weaknesses, Jupiter," said Mercury, going over her brief scan. "I…think the X-Men just throw everything they have at Sentinels until they topple. Pretty sure that's a plan you can get behind."

"Sure is!" Jupiter cried in agreement, the antenna on her visor already out, crackling with electricity. "Be ready to cool its jets, Mercury!" With that, Jupiter charged back in front of the alleyway, ready to unload everything she had. "Supreme Thunder Dragon!" she cried before the Sentinel could take aim again.

As the surge of lightning in the form of a dragon's maw clamped down on the Sentinel's torso, its turbines kicked in again in a bid to retreat. With the one on its chest open and active, Mercury saw her opening. "Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" she cried. Jets of freezing water issued forth from her watery harp, all homing in on its central turbine. Their combined assault knocked the Sentinel back down to Earth, making the whole area quake again as it pancaked an abandoned, derelict car.

Yet it didn't look like that one-two punch was nearly enough to scramble its circuits for good. The Sentinel immediate rose to a kneeling position, reaching out with its left, claw-like hand. Suddenly, its entire arm extended, the claw lashing out to grab them. The two Senshi jumped aside in opposite directions, the claw narrowly missing them, then it telescoped back.

By now, the Sentinel was back on its feet, looking from one Senshi to the other. Jupiter, meanwhile, was looking up at the sky. "I got an idea, Mercury. Last time I tried this it…didn't end so well for me, but I've grown more powerful since then." Mercury wasn't quite sure what Jupiter had in mind, but then Jupiter looked back to the advancing death-machine on legs, its glowing eyes now glaring at her from behind that plexiglass. "Come on, come and get it! Jupiter Oak Evolution!" The electrified leaves grazed against its chassis, but individually, those blades could do little against a Sentinel. Thus, the Sentinel wasn't prevented from lashing out with that claw again, this time snagging Jupiter with ease.

"Jupiter! NO!" screamed Mercury as the Sentinel's arm telescoped back, bringing Jupiter back with it. Icy terror clawed at Mercury's heart even harder when she saw Jupiter's tiara arc with energy again, then there was a rumbling from overhead. Suddenly, it dawned on Mercury. Jupiter was repeating her stratagem with the DD Girls.

Before Mercury could beg Jupiter to stop, before she could launch an attack of her own to get the Sentinel to relinquish her, Jupiter cried out. "Supreme Thunder!" Lighting was called down from the sky, striking her somewhat, but mostly hammered the Sentinel. For a moment, it appeared to be working. The Sentinel staggered back, making jerky motions. But the scan data coming in on Mercury's visor, finally able to do a more detailed analysis, was telling her another story.

"Jupiter, NO! You have to break free! That thing's armor isn't metal, but some super-tough polymer!" Mercury cried out in horror.

" _ **NOW**_ she tells me!" croaked Jupiter acerbically as the Sentinel threw aside the instigator of the elemental assault, flinging her into an open dumpster.

 _Got to act fast, before it can use its minigun again!_ Mercury realized as that icy terror grew again. "Shabon Spray Freezing!" The wide spray of bubbling, freezing water not only served to generate icy fog all over the area, but shrouded the Sentinel's head and torso in thick ice. But Mercury knew full well that all this would barely slow the Sentinel down, so she sent out another volley at its legs. Hoping the double-whammy would buy her a few seconds, Mercury ran over to the dumpster. Jupiter was already climbing out, groggy from both her own lightning and being chucked by the Sentinel. "Jupiter, get it together! My freezing attacks won't keep it at bay very long!"

As if to punctuate that certainty, the sound of cracking ice made the two Senshi look back up. Through Mercury's fog, they could see those glowing yellow eyes fix on them again. Not only that, it seemed the fog was dissipating faster than it normally should. A soft whirring sound told Mercury that it was using those turbines to neutralize her fog! Almost as if…it was designed to counter her attacks!

Still, Mercury held fast to a glimmer of hope. "Jupiter, blast it again, and don't let up for a second! The heat from your lightning… Maybe if we try inducing thermal shock, we can crack that polymer!"

"Don't really know what that means, but if it's thunder and lightning you want…" Jupiter croaked. Her antenna was already crackling again. But as the Sentinel hovered through the last of Mercury's fog, they saw several small flaps fling open on its armored thighs. Over a score of missiles shot out, descending on the two of them. With a shriek, the two of them jumped away, but still got caught up in the blast radius. They tumbled along concrete for a good length, now wide open for that minigun to shred them. Mercury looked up as she skidded to a halt, that minigun already aimed at them.

All of a sudden, its head jerked back, as if struck by some invisible force. It jerked some more, and amazingly, some cracks formed in that plexiglass shield. Now that something had bought them a few seconds, Mercury had her visor zoom in, and gasped. There were roses sticking out of that plexiglass, and more were being thrown. Some came in at too extreme an angle and bounced off, but plenty punched through. The Sentinel raised its left hand, some sort of stun blaster popping out of its gauntlet to fire upon someone on a rooftop. But Tuxedo Kamen evaded the blasts and landed on its shoulder, using his cane to dig between it armored plating and sever cables. Oil and hydraulic fluid sprayed up and doused him, but Tuxedo Kamen kept at it as the partially blinded Sentinel flailed for a moment.

Mercury and Jupiter just watched, wary of launching attacks while Tuxedo Kamen was in the line of fire. Another of their number was thinking along the same lines. "Tuxedo Kamen, get clear!" roared Sailor Mars from the rooftop above. Tuxedo Kamen jumped away just in time, as the Sentinel was finally reaching up for him. "Fire… Soul…" Mars began as the Sentinel took aim at Tuxedo Kamen with its minigun. And then, Mars screamed, "BIRD!" A flaming hawk, guided by one of her ofuda, clawed and pecked at that plexiglass faceplate.

Tuxedo Kamen ran up to Mercury and Jupiter. "I suppose neither of you have any idea why there's a Sentinel after the two of you?" he asked delicately.

"Tuxedo Kamen… What are you and Mars doing here?" demanded Jupiter. "Who's watching the shrine?"

"Never mind that," Tuxedo Kamen snapped. "Whatever you were planning before that Sentinel got the upper hand, I suggest you try it now."

"He's right, Jupiter," said Mercury. "It's time to bring the lightning again."

"Alright, then," said Jupiter as her antenna charged up for another assault. "Supreme Thunder!" A continuous stream of lightning blasted forth from her antenna, forcing the Sentinel back further, still blinded by the fiery bird raking at its faceplate. It was about to fire its minigun blindly down at them, but Mercury and Tuxedo Kamen had other plans. More roses jammed it up for a moment,, then another round of watery blasts with Mercury Aqua Rhapsody encased it in ice.

But almost as soon as the water had solidified, cracks formed, steam shooting out of them. "There's no way to ignore it now… This Sentinel's been designed to counter my powers, perhaps all of our powers!" Mercury cried out with dread. "Let's just hope Jupiter's thunder has done its job…" Once the ice entrapping the minigun broke apart, Mars's fiery hawk had lost too much power, and the Sentinel pried it free. The bird was tossed aside, fading into nothingness. Thankfully, it had done its job. Between the cracks from Tuxedo Kamen's roses and Mars's attack, that plexiglass plate was too mangled to let it see clearly. Mercury knew it could easily switch to infrared sensors any second, so the time to act was now. She just had to hope Mars and Jupiter's attacks induced enough heat. "Shine Aqua Illusion!" she screamed, summoning her column of freezing water.

The water struck while Jupiter still focused her lightning upon it, dousing its torso and face. At first, Mercury feared it would accomplish little more than the last time she and Jupiter attacked in unison. Indeed, the Sentinel was barely forced back. But then, sparks flew from not only the shoulder joint Tuxedo Kamen had mangled, but around its face, hips and its neck. Loud crackling noises, distinct from Jupiter's continuous onslaught of lightning, shrilled through the night air. Finally, the Sentinel turned and engaged its jet turbines, beginning its shaky ascent, retreating at last.

Jupiter slumped to the ground, breathing heavily as her antenna finally retreated into her tiara. Mars, meanwhile, wasn't so ready to let up. "Oh no you don't!" roared Mars from high above. "Mars Flame Sniper!" The fiery arrow struck the back of the Sentinel's head, and it almost careened into another building. But it righted its course just in time and continued its retreat, leaving behind a smoky trail. "Oh great, it got away, whatever it is," Mars huffed as she jumped down from the building, watching the Sentinel zoom away. "Care to explain to me just why, on top of everything else, the Sailor Senshi now have giant killer robots to worry about!?" she demanded, turning to the three of them. "Even for Japan, this is pushing things beyond all believability."

"Mercury said it's a Sentinel, a mutant tracking robot," said Jupiter as she slowly stood back up. "What one of them is doing in Japan is anyone's guess."

"Or why it was after us," added Mercury. "The X-Men's mutant-tracking apparatus is one thing, but the onboard sensors for a Sentinel were supposed to strictly operate via DNA scanners."

"That doesn't look like any Sentinel I ever read about, though," said Tuxedo Kamen. "It must be a completely new design."

"With…a host of countermeasures for anything the Sailor Senshi could throw at it," Mercury reminded him.

"So just who built that thing!?" Mars demanded. "You don't suppose it's something the X-Men threw together to mess with us, do you?"

"C'mon Mars, you heard Tuxedo Kamen. This is a brand new model, not something anyone could just slap back together and reprogram," scoffed Jupiter. "Besides, a bunch of mutants using weapons meant to wipe them out sounds kind of… out there."

"So it's not the X-Men. But it was someone with plenty of knowledge about the Sailor Senshi, and the drive to come after us," said Tuxedo Kamen.

"Agreed. That Sentinel countered my powers way too quickly," said Mercury. "Whoever designed it and programmed it may have done so under the guise of perfecting a mutant-hunting machine, but has a side agenda to…" Mercury's insides froze again. There was just one person who seemed to have extensive knowledge about the Sailor Senshi, and the drive to confront them. "You don't think Eclipse has something to do with it?"

"That's not a comforting thought," said Jupiter darkly. "When I first saw Dr. McCoy walk into the Chess Tower, I figured he was a youma sent by Eclipse. If these are the minions she plans to throw at us instead…"

"In any case, it can wait," said Tuxedo Kamen. "You and Sailor Mercury still have to get to Eclipse. Perhaps you can dig the answers out of her yourselves."

"How did you know we had a Sentinel on our tails, anyway?" asked Jupiter.

"I…I finally decided to try again. Try to use my spiritual powers," said Rei, the rage in her voice now replaced with trepidation. "Everyone else was rushing into a fight, and I figured I better stop being a baby and get over it. That's went I sensed the panic from the two of you. I can't remember the last time I sensed either or you being so scared."

Mercury's brow furrowed. It was true that terror threatened to overwhelm her more than once tonight. If there had been doubts about the fear mutants faced out there, Mercury had experienced firsthand what some had to endure. Still, there was the small dilemma of her chemical weapon being left unguarded. "It's OK, Mars. We're both still in one piece, thanks to you. But you and Tuxedo Kamen better get back to the shrine, in case the X-Men really do mean to wreck our work."

"Right!" Mars cried, nodding in agreement. "Be sure to give Eclipse one for me!"

None of them had a second to waste. As Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Mars turned to dash back to the shrine, Jupiter and Mercury ran in the other direction to where those yakuza were meeting. Of course, Mercury knew full well that Eclipse had either already descended on those yakuza, or had been stymied by the X-Men. She sincerely hoped it wasn't Dr. McCoy they would wind up fighting past. Though there was a good chance that the Sentinel delayed them so much, they wouldn't even get there in time.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Gai Izumi watched the feed from the Sentinel as it continued its trek back to its launch point. Not that there was any real need. He had engaged the autopilot when he punched in the retreat command, so the Sentinel would find its way back without any input from him. Besides, the feed wouldn't have been all that useful anyway. That plexiglass faceplate was so mangled by cracks and intense heat, it was hard to make sense of anything. Granted, there were a host of other sensor systems he could have switched to, but his aunt had been clear. They couldn't risk whatever Sentinels they sent out at this juncture being too badly damaged to retreat.

"Well, Aunt Erina wanted her Sentinels tested in actual combat, see how much abuse they could take from the Sailor Senshi," Gai said to no one in particular. "She'll have plenty of data to crunch now." Indeed, Gai knew his aunt well. She would relish having fresh data to pour over, to further perfect her designs for her new breed of Sentinel. Gai still couldn't quite fathom why Erina was so determined to make these deadly new Sentinels, but she took great pride in her work.

These were certainly far superior to their original American counterparts. Bolivar Trask's original model was bulky and clunky, and later iterations just made those clumsy things even larger. A grotesque display of that mistaken belief Americans had of bigger being better. These new Sentinels were small in comparison to their more recent predcessors, but much swifter. Aiding in that was the special polymer Erina designed, stronger than titanium alloy but much lighter. Then there was having kinetic weapons along with energy blasters and whatnot. There were situations that simply demanded old-fashioned hot lead injections, and fighting the Sailor Senshi was one of them. According to his aunt, they've had every conceivable form of projectable energy hurled at them, and were still breathing. Bullets, however, could end them forever when the time came.

Oh, and the older Sentinels always talked, blathering about acquiring their target or whatever. Perhaps it sort of worked as psychological warfare, like the sound of an army marching in lockstep, something Gai could somewhat appreciate. But Gai preferred the idea of silent and swift Sentinels if he had to use them. Deafening silence could be a valuable weapon too, one he had used often on jobs as a yakuza enforcer.

But most importantly was what Erina designed for the inside. From the beginning, the Sentinels had flawed artificial intelligence, making their rebellion almost inevitable. Like with the basic design, later models foolishly drew too much from the original programming. Erina Kizachi would have none of that. She was determined to make sure these Sentinels would ultimately obey her, and her alone. Soon, conditions in Japan would be sufficient to let Erina pitch her plea for her new Sentinels to be mass-produced and deployed en masse. Until then, she would work tirelessly to see the design achieved perfection in her eyes.

"Of course, with the beating this thing took from just half the Senshi team, perfection may be a long way off," Gai thought aloud. Gai glanced at other screens, feeding him fresh damage diagnostics. Gai punched in some commands, making sure they would all be saved and stored for his aunt's consumption later.

He briefly wondered if Erina would be frustrated by her Sentinel not doing as well as hoped. Oh, the goal had not been to kill any Senshi, but Gai was fairly certain she would expect her creation to take a bit more abuse. Gai dismissed the notion fairly quickly. His aunt would simply use the opportunity to improve her design so the Senshi wouldn't have it so easy next round. "She's a lot more tolerant of failure than most," Gai said, glancing at the nub that had once been his pinky. It wasn't just how she loathed his yakuza brethren for doing this over such a minor slight. She viewed failure as an opportunity to learn, to prevent the mistakes of the past. In the case of the Sentinels, this test run would let her correct any design flaws that would be fatal in prolonged combat. For other instances… Erina always insisted having a dim view of failure led to many fatal mistakes on the part of Sailor Moon's older foes, most notably this Queen Beryl. And she would go on and on about how the Sailor Senshi themselves failed so hard without ever acknowledging it, especially Sailor Moon herself.

"At least _ **I**_ didn't fail her, technically," Gai muttered, looking down at the specially-rigged controls. "Sure looked idiot-proofed to me." Indeed, Gai manipulated the Sentinel to perform just as Erina desired. It was difficult, though, having the Sentinel attack with lethal force with the right amount of speed. Just slow enough so that the Sailor Senshi could stay one step ahead, but just fast enough so that they wouldn't suspect something odd was going on. _As if there'd be anything odd about a giant mutant-hunting robot suddenly popping up out of nowhere and hunting Sailor Senshi,_ Gai pondered silently. It had been a delicate dance, but being a seasoned yakuza enforcer, Gai had a knack for using the right amount of force to elicit just the right amount of fear to ensure compliance. Even when manipulating these new Sentinels, that skill bled through. Gai smiled, certain that if he could get one Sentinel to behave just the way he wanted, Erina could easily make hundreds function in perfect harmony.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

If Gambit and Colossus's job really was simply keeping them away from the yakuza and Eclipse, these mutants were pulling it off masterfully. Every time either Uranus or Neptune tried to break away, the X-Man facing them prevented them from escaping. Colossus, for one thing, proved even tougher than they feared. Though Submarine Reflection seemed effective, possibly even hurting Colossus, the burly Russian was anything but dull-witted muscle. He was quite clever and surprisingly fast, never giving Neptune much of an opportunity to lay into him with it, and always found a way to block her egress. As for Gambit, he was perhaps even more frustrating. On top of also being fast and clever, those exploding cards of his provided the perfect way to cut off any escape. Oh, and of course, that smarmy, infuriating charm of his still vexed Uranus to no end.

Gritting her teeth, Uranus kept ducking and dodging to avoid another flurry of charged-up playing cards. Plumes of dust and concrete chunks sprayed at her from all directions as they detonated against the ground. Some cards struck the surrounding buildings, causing chunks of brick walls to rain down. Uranus rolled to avoid one such chunk as she collected power in her fist, her patience finally exhausted. "World Shaking!" she roared, sending out her concentrated wind power. It ripped across the paved ground, not that it hadn't already been decimated by mutant-on-Senshi action. But Gambit, as infuriatingly swift as ever, merely used his staff to pole vault right over her attack at the last possible second!

"Calling out attacks like that must be fun! Let me try it!" Gambit quipped, actually now using his staff like a helicopter blade to slow his descent! His staff itself was crackling with that power he infused into his cards! "World Shaking!" he snidely cried out, just as he came down, slamming his energized staff into the ground. A shockwave of pure force radiated out, making the concrete undulate and knocking Uranus off her feet. The shockwave knocked her back against a brick wall, but Gambit was already closing in. Uranus sprang back up, Space Sword at the ready, but that surprise counter of Gambit had rattled her too much. She parried a few staff strikes, making some efforts to counter and stab back, but eventually Gambit broke through her defenses. Uranus's mind reeled as the end of his staff smashed against her jaw, making her taste blood, and then Gambit swung his staff back around to sweep her off her feet.

Even with everything spinning, Uranus refused to be easy prey. Gambit was energizing his staff, aiming to send her flying with a shockwave again. A swift kick to his legs now had the Cajun being swept off his feet. But she was too dazed to risk going in for the finish. She rolled away, out of his immediate range, before picking herself up off the ground. By then, Gambit was back on his feet too, but Uranus noticed something. She had left a huge gash in his shirt, and some blood was soaking it. One of her counterstrikes had hit home after all.

Gambit looked down at his injury, running his fingertips across the cut in his shirt and inspected the blood wiped up. Looking back up to Uranus, he _STILL_ had the nerve to just smile! "Looks like we both be leaving a mark on each other, no?" he quipped glibly. "Oh, now I gonna get it from Logan. No way to hide the fact I be having fun in Tokyo without 'im."

Uranus wiped away the blood dribbling down her mouth and spat. She refused to gratify Gambit's constant, taunting compliments with responses, especially this time. Did he just have the nerve to flirt with her _AGAIN_!? He thought this was _FUN_!? Was there any shutting this insufferable mutant up!? Uranus was ready to charge, but she noticed that Gambit suddenly looked a little…distracted. He held his staff at the ready, poised to strike, but those glowing pink and black eyes… One look told Uranus he had risked a second to stop and think. _Or maybe… It's another telepathic message!_ Uranus reasoned.

Unfortunately, Uranus realized too late she was focusing on the wrong X-Man. Just as she sensed something odd on the winds and turned her head, Uranus heard Neptune cry out. "Uranus, look…" was all her partner got out. Uranus looked to her right just in time to see that Colossus had thrown a tire at Neptune. With enough force to knock Neptune right into Uranus, sending them both sailing across the ruined lot. Their talismans flew out of their hands as they collided painfully with the base of a lamppost.

"Urgh… Next time, _YOU_ get to fight the super-strong metal man, Uranus," Neptune groaned as she struggled to stand. Uranus was having difficulty getting back on her feet herself. That had been quite an impact. Just _HOW_ strong did Colossus have to be to do that with just an old tire?

Uranus had little time to ponder such details. More energized cards rained down, making the two Senshi lose their already shaky footing. As they slid back down against the pole, Uranus heard forceful footsteps behind them. Gambit was just creating a diversion so Colossus could flank them! This realization came too late. Uranus suddenly found herself pressed up against the lamppost along with Neptune. Looking down, Uranus saw a curved metal bar pinning them to the lamppost. The sound of metal groaning in protest behind them told Uranus that Colossus was twisting and tying the bar in place, ensuring they would be held fast, hands pinned uselessly at their sides.

Gambit sauntered up to them, still flashing that vexing, charming smile, staff slung over his shoulder. He ignored the wound on his chest completely. "Well ladies, thanks for being such…energetic dancing partners, but we got some business elsewhere," he said warmly. What Uranus wouldn't have given right then for Colossus's powers, just so she could break free and wipe that smile off his face! "Wish I had a camera, though, so I could remember this night forever. Click," he finished, making a clicky motion with his free hand.

Colossus walked up next to him. "Enough antagonizing them, Gambit," he chided. "Cable said he needs our assistance now. Eclipse has made her move, and he's having some difficulty containing her." Uranus's exasperation reached new, blood pressure-jacking heights. These mutants were on the cusp of getting away with Eclipse! And after this bout, she didn't trust _ANY_ of them to share whatever they found out about her.

"Then let's go get what we came for," said Gambit. Flashing one last smile down at the Senshi, he went on. "Now, don't be goin' nowhere, ladies. We gonna go get your yakuza-bustin' mutie for ya." And with that, the two X-Men turned and bolted to wherever this 'Cable' was fighting Eclipse.

"Well, the mutant race is two-for-two now," grumbled Neptune. "That's twice a mutant got us helplessly pinned, while the fighting gets left to others."

Uranus said nothing, instead struggling futilely against the cold, unyielding metal pinning them against the lamppost. She was supposed to be the strongest Senshi, even able to outmuscle Sailor Jupiter! Yet here she was, her strength shown to be completely useless against what Colossus could do. Bad enough that Gambit's powers already proved a match for hers. And according to Ami, this Dr. McCoy could easily outmuscle her too! Were the X-Men really that much better than the Sailor Senshi?

It looked like the answer to that might come sooner rather than later. Though rage made blood pound in Uranus's ears, she could still hear someone crying out her name. Looking back up, she saw Sailor Venus and Sailor Chibi-Moon running up to them. The latter was stopping to scoop up their talismans. Not only that, Sailor Moon wasn't far behind them, and the cats were right behind her! "Finally, some reinforcements," said Neptune sourly. "We could've used them about two minutes ago…"

"At least there's still a chance to keep the X-Men from running off with Eclipse!" spat Uranus as the three Senshi walked up to the lamppost. "Hurry up, someone gets this stupid bar off of us!"

Sailor Moon's hand went to her tiara, and she was about to walk behind the lamppost to use it. However, Venus reached out to stop her. "Hang on just a second, Sailor Moon," said Venus, a dangerous gleam in her eye as she looked down at them.

"What's going on, Venus!?" demanded Uranus. "Our only chance against these X-Men is if we all rush them at once!"

"Oh, no doubt about that," said Venus. "But there's still the matter of your agreement regarding the dirtbike…"

Uranus's eyes widened in disbelief. She was bringing that up _NOW_!? Even Sailor Moon was thinking on the same page. "Venus, w-w-we really don't have the time for…"

Venus swiftly shushed her. "In that case, we better settle this quickly," she said with a sardonic smile.

"You think you still deserve that after your stupid cat let the secret out of the bag!?" Uranus roared indignantly. Artemis just hissed at her.

"Oh, for the love of… Uranus, just LET HER RIDE THE STUPID BIKE!" bellowed Neptune.

When her partner took that tone, Uranus knew it was over. Hanging her head, Uranus relented. "Fine, just cut us loose!"

Still smiling, Venus pointed down at them, the tip of her finger glowing. "Crescent Beam!" she cried. Her focused laser easily smashed through the metal bar Colossus tied around them, but it came uncomfortably close to grazing their arms as well.

"Watch it with that thing!" spat Neptune as their metal bonds clattered to the ground.

"Oh, quit crying. You two are free, aren't you?" Chibi-Moon huffed as the two of them stood up. The young Senshi held up their talismans, and they quickly took them back.

"So how long were you trapped there?" demanded Luna. "Where are the X-Men now?"

"Not too long, and they shouldn't be too far away," said Neptune.

"Which is good, because I have unfinished business with one of them," Uranus snarled.

"Oh. Eager for more one-on-one time with the Cajun, I see," said Michiru teasingly. Uranus just rolled her eyes.

"'Cajun'?" Sailor Moon repeated dubiously. "So, one of them really is Gambit. The other one with him, was it really Colossus?"

Uranus was a bit shocked that Sailor Moon knew so much about these X-Men already. "Indeed, and there's another X-Man nearby, one who Colossus called 'Cable'."

"Uh-oh," said Sailor Moon, shuddering a little. "Then we'd better get after them, before he wrecks this place even worse."

"Really?" asked Artemis as he surveyed the aftermath from the fight with Gambit and Colossus. "Looks like those other two can cause enough collateral damage on their own."

"Never mind all that," spat Neptune. "It's getting Eclipse that we need to worry about."

"Right. Move it, people!" cried Luna. Uranus needed no further encouragement. She and Neptune took point, taking off in the direction Gambit and Colossus had ran, with the rest close behind.

It wasn't hard to trace their route. One only had to follow the screams. It sounded like those mutants were too late, that Eclipse had zeroed in on her quarry. As the Senshi rounded the corner of another building, though, they saw that wasn't quite the case. A group of men with weapons drawn could be seen, but instead of going on the attack, they looked more anxious to simply get out of there. A few of their faces sported burns or bloody wounds, and one man looked be nursing a broken arm, while another looked to have a broken leg and had to be carried.

All of a sudden, a bolt of what could only be described as black lightning lashed out toward them. Then, just as suddenly, Colossus rushed in to put himself between the barrage and the fleeing yakuza. Soon Gambit stepped into view as well, several cards between his fingers, crackling with raw power. With a flick of the wrist, Gambit chucked the cards somewhere out of view. Judging by how black ooze splattered over in their direction, it wasn't hard to guess who was on the receiving end. Colossus didn't flinch as it splattered over his armored frame, but Gambit glanced down at his coat with annoyance. "Ick. Gonna take a good long while to get this goop out," he grumbled.

"Ooooh, the hottie from the arcade _**IS**_ here. Anyway, at least they're not exactly going easy on Eclipse," Venus whispered. "And they are covering the yakuza for us."

"Still, we got to get Eclipse away from them," Neptune reminded her. "We need answers."

"Let's loop around to the other side of the building. Let these two do our work for us in regards to protecting those yakuza," Luna recommended. Uranus nursed her jaw for a moment, still tasting her own blood. As much as Uranus wanted another crack at cracking that Cajun's skull, Luna's plan made more sense. So she nodded, and the group doubled back, but Luna pointed out another concern. "I didn't see this third X-Man, though, this 'Cable'. Sailor Moon, do you know anything about him?"

"Not much. Just that he's seen as a loose cannon, sort of connected to the X-Men," said Sailor Moon. "Whatever his powers are, I have no idea. From what I've read, he usually just seems to lug around really big guns..." Uranus sighed. So much for Sailor Moon knowing everything about these mutants. So they just had to be ready for anything.

When they looped around to the other side of the building, they finally saw Eclipse in the distance. She looked the same as before, wearing a tan jumpsuit, long black hair spilling out from underneath a hard hat and welding goggles. Recalling the photo from the flier, Uranus was even more certain this was Erina Kizachi, the woman she once saved from the Death Busters. Was that why she hesitated to finish them off during their last encounter? Uranus doubted she could count on Eclipse being so merciful a second time.

Still, Eclipse had other concerns. Her gait looked a little wobbly, possibly shaken up by Gambit's cards. Uranus could see both him and Colossus still blocking the path down which the yakuza fled, but were focused on Eclipse and didn't spot the Senshi. However, Eclipse was hardly alone. A man about as huge as Colossus had been in 'human' form had their backs turned to them. He wore a longcoat similar to Gambit's, and Uranus could make out his flat-top of white hair.

"Oh no, I think that's the guy from the park," Chibi-Moon hissed, her unease palpable. "The one who…seemed to know all about me…"

"Wait, I think that _IS_ Cable," Sailor Moon whispered back. "But how would he… Is he a mind-reader like their professor?"

"He just might be," said Neptune. "Gambit and Colossus were getting telepathic messages from someone nearby."

Uranus just watched carefully, waiting for either mutant to make a move. Sailor Moon had said Cable preferred heavy weaponry, but unless that coat hid some guns, he looked to be unarmed. However, it soon became apparent that he probably didn't need weapons. Eclipse finally lashed out with that dark lightning, but it never touched Cable. The big guy spread his arms, and it was as if an invisible barrier sprang up in front of him. Dark energy crashed against the invisible barrier with deafening force, but Cable's defense held. Not letting up, Eclipse pumped more dark energy out while that ooze bubbled out. Once again, she flung wooden pallets at her target, but they were also deflected by some invisible force. Next, Eclipse used her oil slick to hurl an entire dumpster at Cable, but halfway towards him, it just stopped in midair.

"What in… The entire dumpster, just dead in the air?" spat Artemis. "Could that be Magneto instead?"

"No, he flung away the pallets too," said Neptune. "Cable must possess telekinesis as well as telepathy." One could still be forgiven for mistaking Cable's powers as mastery over magnetism, however. Cable clenched his fists and crossed his arms, and suddenly the hovering dumpster came apart. Trash spilled out onto the paved ground as the individual sides of the dumpster were flung back at Eclipse. Bursts of black lightning and tendrils of oily ooze swatted them away, but Cable succeeded in putting her on the defensive. That left her wide open for a direct telekinetic assault. All of a sudden, Eclipse was flung backwards and slammed against a wall hard.

"Cable, hurry! Get in her head and shut her down!" the Senshi heard Gambit plead.

"Yes, Nathan. This mutant is too wily to take chances with," Colossus added.

"Believe me, I've been trying!" Cable shot back. "Somehow, she's resisting all my telepathic probes! We may have to do this the hard way, I'm afraid…"

"Well, that explains why he hasn't sensed our presence," said Luna. "He's been too busy getting into Eclipse's head, without success."

"Still, he's softened Eclipse up a little," said Uranus. "This would give us an opportunity, if Mercury and Jupiter were here. Where are they?"

"Good question," said Sailor Moon. "The shrine is closer than Minako and I were when Rei alerted us. They should've beaten us here."

"Then we wait," said Neptune. "Whether or not they show, we can keep letting the X-Men do our work for us. If Cable is truly that powerful, he can wear down Eclipse easily. Then we swoop in and engage the X-Men. While they're distracted, Sailor Moon uses the Ginzuishou to purify her."

As much as Uranus was itching for more action after those mutants bested them in such a humiliating manner, she had to agree Neptune's plan made more sense. Sailor Moon seemed to agree, nodding, though her reluctance to fight the X-Men was palpable. "At least, with the Dark Kingdom's lingering corruption gone, things might be easier…"

"Then we wait for your word to make our move, Princess," said Uranus. Granted, she had no idea how they would fight past a powerful psychic. They only had a reprieve due to Cable's mind being preoccupied. But they had to try. Walking away empty-handed again was unacceptable.

Thankfully, Cable was still too absorbed in the fight to detect them with telepathy. He charged forward, needing his telekinesis to shield himself from another volley of black lightning. Still, he advanced, even as Eclipse summoned thick tendrils of ooze to act as battering rams. Just like with her dark power, the oil slick spread over an invisible barrier, never touching Cable and barely slowing him down. In fact, a sudden expansion of his telekinetic shield forced the ooze back. Eclipse tried again, but suddenly Colossus rushed in between them, letting the tendrils wrap around him. Even as Eclipse used her oil slick to conduct dark energy, Colossus barely flinched as it crackled all around him. It soon proved to be an even worse idea on Eclipse's part. Colossus swung his torso around. Eclipse, weighing much less, was effortlessly flung around and slammed hard against another wall. Before Eclipse could stand up, more energized cards rained down on her. One struck her dead-center, and she crumpled as black ooze splattered everywhere again.

"We got the little lady now, Cable!" cried Gambit. "If you can't get in her head, just wrap her in a telekinetic bubble and let's be goin'!"

"I think that's our cue," said Sailor Moon. Uranus couldn't agree more. The time to force the X-Men back was now, while Eclipse was dazed and wide open.

The other Senshi got the message. Sailor Venus stood and cried, "Venus Love and Beauty Shock!" She aimed her attack at Cable, who finally realized they were there. As expected, he raised a telekinetic barrier to shield himself. It was important to keep Cable distracted. Telepathy alone made him the most dangerous by far, and considering how much trouble Gambit and Colossus already caused, that was saying something.

Cable's defense held, but the attack was so fierce, came so suddenly, it bought the Sailor Senshi a couple of seconds. Neptune saw her opening and raised her talisman. "Submarine Reflection!" The intense blast of watery energy slammed into Cable. His barrier still held, but it was enough to blast him backwards and into Colossus, making them both slam into the side of a building. "Turnabout's fair play, boys!" she cried out.

But their troubles were far from over. Gambit was still up and about, and didn't hesitate to unleash another volley of energized cards. "Venus, Neptune… _INCOMING_!" Uranus cried out in alarm.

"On it, Uranus!" shouted Chibi-Moon. "Pink Sugar Heart Attack!" she cried, whipping out her Crystal Carillon. A flurry of little pink hearts fluttered out, intercepting Gambit's barrage. His cards detonated harmlessly a good distance away.

Gambit's immediate plans were foiled, but he could easily move in and fight up close and personal. Furthermore, Cable and Colossus were already back on their feet. Was Cable just as durable as Colossus?

Colossus rejoined Gambit and advanced on the Senshi again. "The Sailor Senshi have reinforcements? Regrettable. I was hoping this would escalate no further," he grumbled sorrowfully.

"Sorry big guy, but we need whatever's in Eclipse's head," said Venus. "And if this Cable fellow can't get inside it, we'll do it ourselves. Venus Love-Me Chain!" The golden chain lashed out at the two. Gambit and Colossus rolled in opposite directions, and her attack upended a good chunk of the ground instead.

Meanwhile, Uranus moved in on Cable, determined to keep him from using his telepathy. With a cry of fury, she rushed in, lunging at Cable with her Space Sword. That double-whammy from Venus and Neptune should have knocked him silly, telekinetic barrier or no, but he was alert and on his feet. And easily parried her sword strike with…his left arm!? Uranus heard and felt her blade graze against metal as it ripped apart the sleeve of his coat. Despite her own determination to remain focused, Uranus couldn't help but feel shocked for a moment by what she saw. "You have a…bionic arm!?" she spat in disbelief, staring at the gleaming, segmented metal.

Cable said nothing, counterattacking with equal swiftness. Uranus barely lunged back in time to avoid a roundhouse kick to the face. Then he came at Uranus with a chop from his bionic arm, and she barely brought up her Space Sword to parry it. The sword barely dug into the metal, but that was fine. Uranus had another idea in mind. Her sword glowing with power, it dragged against his arm, and she shouted out, "Space Sword Blaster!"

The suddenness of her attack once again left Cable with barely enough time to erect a telekinetic barrier, this time around his face. Some of her concentrated wind energy seeped through, knocking those sunglasses off Cable's face, revealing scars above and below his right eye. Cable roared in frustration, but otherwise was unfazed. He came at Sailor Uranus again, and it didn't take long before he got through her defenses, eventually knocking her Space Sword away with a well-timed palm strike to her wrist. Amazing as it seemed, this big guy was even faster than Gambit, and perhaps a good deal stronger than her! As if Beast and Colossus being stronger than her wasn't enough! Were _ALL_ the X-Men easily a match for the Sailor Senshi!?

Not that Uranus had much time to think on that, or anything else. Finally fed up with her, Cable stopped Uranus in her tracks with a telepathic probe, just as she was ready to unleash World Shaking. Her will, her determination, all suddenly amounted to nothing as the world spun around Uranus, everything a haze of pain, her head throbbing. She crumpled to her knees, clutching her head while screaming. The world continued to spin, and Uranus barely heard a resounding cry of "Moon Tiara Action!" Forcing herself to look up, Uranus saw the blazing disc slice across Cable's bionic arm. It didn't dig deep enough to damage it badly, but it left a long gash, sparks sputtering out.

More importantly, it broke Cable's telepathic hold. It took a moment for Uranus to recover, but she backflipped away to recollect her Space Sword, then jumped back again over to Sailor Moon, just as her tiara boomeranged back. "Sailor Moon, not that I'm not grateful for the rescue, but you've got to purify Eclipse! She won't stay down much longer!"

"Alright then. Get everyone to cover me. Here I go!" With that, Sailor Moon turned back to Eclipse, who was finally rising. Seeing that Sailor Moon was finally making the attempt, Neptune, Venus and Chibi-Moon fell back and closed ranks around their princess. By then, Cable had recovered, regarding the gash in his arm. Uranus stared him down, though she knew Cable could floor her again with merely a thought. As she sensed Sailor Moon collect power into the Ginzuishou, Uranus spared a glance over her shoulder. Her brooch was already open, her hands cupped around the exposed, glowing gem. Sailor Moon breathed in deeply, then screamed, "Moon Healing Escalation!"

A bright beam of blinding, purifying light lashed out, bathing Eclipse just as she was back on her feet. Eclipse screamed, but whether from surprise or pain, Uranus couldn't say. Her screams, mixed with the shrilling, tinkling sound of Sailor Moon's focused power, couldn't drown out Cable's cries of rage. Mostly because his vehement words rang inside Uranus's head. A quick glance over at how the other Sailor Senshi were wincing told Uranus his telepathy was hammering all of them. _"Just what is it you Sailor Senshi are trying to do!?"_ Cable demanded angrily. _"Why are you so obsessed with this one mutant to the point we're fighting over her!? We X-Men are better equipped to deal with mutants such as this, who are a clear and present danger to normal humans!"_

Sailor Moon was still focusing on Eclipse, even though Uranus could tell Cable's telepathic shouts were digging into her head as well. But after he was done hammering them with his questions, Sailor Moon turned to glare at Cable, teeth clenched as tears streamed down her face. Then she turned back to Eclipse, still radiating determination. What had she just done? Did Sailor Moon silently give Cable the answers he wanted?

She must have. Gambit and Colossus, swiftly losing patience, rushed forward again. But as they were about to charge past Cable, he held up a hand. "Gambit, Colossus, hold position," Cable commanded. "Let's see where Sailor Moon's going with this." Still, his left eye glowed dangerously, indicating that if he saw something he didn't like, he would telepathically hammer them all over again.

The Sailor Senshi who closed ranks around Sailor Moon eyed the three X-Men warily, who likewise looked ready to pounce the moment they saw something fishy. Sailor Moon, meanwhile, was entirely focused on Eclipse's purification. Uranus kept risking glances back at the princess. Sailor Moon gritted her teeth as she concentrated, siphoning everything she safely could through the Ginzuishou. Uranus feared she might be tempted to pour in far more. The threat of Eclipse could be neutralized completely if they pulled this off, but that wasn't all that weighed on Sailor Moon's mind, Uranus knew. Uranus saw that pleading, anxious look in Sailor Moon's tearful eyes as she kept trying to heal Eclipse.

"Come on, come on, you've got to become a good girl again, you've got to…" Sailor Moon muttered through gritted teeth. Uranus looked from Sailor Moon over to Eclipse, slumped against the wall, bathed in the Ginzuishou's radiant splendor. It almost served to cancel out the noxious dreariness of her oil slick, spilling limply around her boots. She seemed to be staring at the ground, dazed, though with those welding goggles it was anyone's guess. On top of that, now they knew Eclipse could repel attempts to read her mind, along with any means to track her. Who knew what else Eclipse could resist? Could the Ginzuishou really do anything for Eclipse, or would she resist its effects, like so much else already thrown at her?

For the moment, Uranus dared entertain hope that her doubts were unfounded. Sailor Moon's power seemed to have Eclipse paralyzed, which could mean she was indeed purging the Dark Kingdom's lingering, ruinous influence. If that was gone, Eclipse's bloodlust might be gone with it. So as Eclipse stayed hunched against the wall while bathed in the Ginzuishou's healing light, Uranus found her hopes growing. Perhaps, with just a little more…

With sudden, stupefying speed, Eclipse raised one hand and sent out a tendril of black ooze, ensnaring Sailor Moon by the torso. In an instant, her purifying light was smothered. "What in… AAAAAUGH!" Sailor Moon screamed as dark power crackled all around her.

"Oh no you don't! Crescent Beam!" shouted Venus vehemently. But Eclipse sent out another tendril that snared Venus's wrist, pointing her attack elsewhere. "Everyone, look out!" she cried out in alarm, but it was too late. All the other Sailor Senshi had to scatter, and Venus's blast ripped across the ground toward the X-Men instead.

Another telekinetic barrier shielded the three mutants from harm, but Eclipse's ploy bought her a few seconds. She sucked back the ooze she snared Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus with, then fired another tendril up toward a nearby rooftop. Uranus could only watch as Eclipse rocketed up, disappearing from view as she scrambled over the roof's edge.

"Oh boy. Stormy and the Professor ain't gonna like hearin' 'bout this," Gambit grumbled as he looked up, knowing full well that Eclipse had too much of a head start. Even in her weakened state, by the time any of them reached the rooftops, Eclipse could be anywhere.

"So much for Sailor Moon's ploy to 'purify' Eclipse," scoffed Cable as he glowered at the Senshi. He sounded as if he couldn't believe he had been willing to let Sailor Moon try.

Meanwhile, Sailor Moon herself wasn't looking to where Eclipse had fled, or back toward Cable. She had fallen to her knees, more or less just staring straight ahead at where Eclipse had been before, where it looked like she might actually be purged of the Dark Kingdom's lingering influence. Not mindful of the oily gunk clinging to her fuku, or really, much of anything. "I-I-I-It didn't work," she spluttered in disbelief, tearing up again. "The Dark Kingdom's hold… Eclipse, we could've saved her, b-b-b-but… I-I-I-It didn't work…"

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A slight delay in getting this chapter of girly fun out, thanks to beholding the feministicky awesomeness that was _Wonder Woman_ the previous night. Sweet movie, and a way better period piece than _Captain America: The First Avenger_ , and possibly even a bit better than _X-Men: First Class_! Though I honestly can't say which instance of estrogen-fueled carnage this year was more awesome. Seeing X-23 carve through Reavers, or seeing Wonder Woman power through a World War I battlefield? Decisions, decisions…

So long,

Grey-X


	9. Shattered Dreams

Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 9: Shattered Dreams

6-25-2017

By Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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It took a little more time for some of the Sailor Senshi to get over their shock at the Ginzuishou's ineffectiveness than others. Sailor Chibi-Moon, in particular, couldn't quite believe what her own eyes told her, not after growing up hearing about the the Ginzuishou's power, then using it herself once. As she stood by Sailor Moon, grasping her shoulders as her future mother remained on her knees, shellshocked, Chibi-Moon saw Sailor Venus jump onto a nearby wire fence, then leap toward the roof of the building Eclipse scrambled onto. Venus Love-Me Chain let her latch onto the roof and pull herself up, while Cable nonchalantly used his telekinesis to levitate himself. Chibi-Moon glared at him as he ascended. There was more to this guy than just being one of the toughest mutants around, and she still aimed to find out what.

It wasn't long before Cable lowered himself back down. "No trace of her, not that I had any luck picking up thought patterns before," he grumbled, mostly to himself. Then he looked over to the Senshi, that left eye of his flashing. "Whatever that faux Infinity Gem was supposed to do, obviously it didn't work. Why did you think Eclipse could undergo this 'purification' or whatever? Mutants can't simply be cured of what they are!"

"Eclipse is no ordinary mutant, Cable," spat Venus, who just jumped back down to ground level. "She got extra powers from one of our old enemies, and it's a good chance that lingering influence is making her flip out."

"The latter supposition appears incorrect, then," Colossus pointed out.

"Not like Cable could tell us otherwise," snarled Uranus. "He can twist a Sailor Senshi's mind inside-out, but this girl's unaffected by his powers."

"So…there's no way to calm Eclipse down," muttered Sailor Moon, still on her knees and gazing at the ground. "We're…really going to have to kill her?"

"No, Sailor Moon. Like I tried to tell your friends, we got places we can take mutants who…got an extreme lack of social graces," said Gambit.

"And we could've had Eclipse in custody and on her way to such a place, had you Sailor Senshi not interfered!" cried Cable, pointing at them with his good hand. "Now she's still on the loose, Tokyo's still at risk, and you Senshi are no closer to getting any solid answers!"

"No one asked for your help!" spat Neptune, pointing back at him.

"When it comes to muties with a chip on their shoulder runnin' amok, best not to wait for paperwork t' be signed," said Gambit smoothly.

"Forget it, Remy. The Sailor Senshi have already proven they are unwilling to listen to reason," said Colossus.

"Agreed, Peter. There's no point sticking around here," said Cable.

"Not when we still need someone to take out our frustration on, now that Eclipse slipped away," said Uranus dangerously.

Cable actually facepalmed with his jerky, bionic hand. "And people say _**I'M**_ too trigger-happy!" he snarled in frustration. "Look, Sailor Senshi, we have no desire to fight you, but we're not leaving Japan until this business with Eclipse is resolved. Get in our way again, and next time you'll force our hand. We won't hold back."

Chibi-Moon could sense Neptune and Uranus bristle at Cable's threat. A threat he could make good on, here and now. In contrast, she tried to keep calm. She wanted to believe Sailor Moon about how noble these X-Men were supposed to be, but now there was too much tension between their teams. Thanks mostly to how hotheaded Neptune and Uranus could be. Furthermore, this notion that Cable was a fellow time-traveler still vexed her. Finally unable to contain herself, Chibi-Moon stepped forward. "Who are you anyway, Cable? Really? Were you reading my mind back in the park? You seemed to know…where I come from."

Cable just looked down at her, that eye still flashing. Meanwhile, Gambit and Colossus stepped up behind him, but Chibi-Moon paid them no notice. "Nothing too deep," Cable eventually said. "The professor encourages restraint for that sort of thing. Uranus and Neptune should consider themselves lucky that he does. But this future of yours I glimpsed… Believe me, you should cherish it."

"So you _HAVE_ traveled through time! How!?" demanded Chibi-Moon vehemently. "Plu watches the Time Gate, and she's never mentioned anyone like you!"

Cable merely shrugged his shoulders. "I'm hardly the only X-Man who's hopped through time," he said simply. Suddenly, Colossus's metal skin reverted to flesh, and he shrank a little. Chibi-Moon could sense the other Senshi tensing, even though Colossus just made himself vulnerable. And soon it became apparent why. Cable began levitating all three of them telekinetically. It was a relatively slow ascent, but soon, they had reached as high as the roof Eclipse escaped over. Chibi-Moon just stood there looking up, questions still roiling in her mind.

"Why are we just watching them get away?" hissed Artemis. "Any one of you can wing them right now!"

Even from so high up, Artemis didn't go unnoticed. "Hey, her cat talks," Gambit said with a smile, pointing down. "Not like we can criticize, not when your ladyfriend's got Lockheed, Peter. Anyway girls, looks like more of your friends are comin', so best we be exitin' now…"

Chibi-Moon turned around to see Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter finally running up. "Took you long enough," spat Artemis. "Hurry up and help us…"

"No, Artemis. We're letting them go," said Sailor Moon softly, but in a tone making it clear there would be no argument. "You want to bring _MORE_ of them? There's more than three X-Men in Japan, don't forget. Besides, there's been enough fighting tonight, and it's gotten us nowhere."

"So you're actually buying their line that this would've all been wrapped up if we'd butted out, Sailor Moon?" cried Uranus in disbelief, looking back up. Chibi-Moon looked up too, seeing that the three mutants had gone over that rooftop, vanishing from view.

"I'm not sure," said Sailor Moon, finally standing up. "It sounds like the X-Men made an offer. Did you dismiss it out of hand?"

"They attacked us first!" Uranus protested vehemently. But when Sailor Moon leveled a surprisingly withering glance at the Senshi of Wind, she admitted, "But… We did transform right in front of them, making it clear we wouldn't be bullied into standing aside."

"So on top of everything else, you went ahead and removed all doubt regarding who you two really are," said Luna incredulously. "This evening gets better and better."

"That's merely the tip of the iceberg," said Mercury. "I'm not quite sure what happened between all of you and the X-Men, but they're not the only ones giving us trouble tonight."

"What's that supposed to mean, Mercury?" asked Chibi-Moon.

"We got held up by one of those robots always sent to kill the X-Men," replied Jupiter.

"Wait a minute. Mutant-hunting robot…" muttered Sailor Moon. Suddenly, her eyes widened in panic. "Don't tell me… A _**SENTINEL**_ came after you two!?"

"You know about the Sentinels, Sailor Moon? How… No wait, of course you do," said Mercury, finally understanding. "Yes, it was most definitely a Sentinel, but a design no one's ever seen before. It seemed designed to counter Sailor Senshi, however. And the suspicious timing behind the attacks leads one to believe Eclipse sent it, to hold us up and prevent us from using ice and lightning on her."

"Lovely. Eclipse has her own army of killer robots, on top of everything else," grumbled Venus.

"Then at least we learned one valuable thing tonight," said Uranus. "My suspicion about who Eclipse really is was just confirmed."

"'Suspicions?'" Mercury repeated dubiously. "You mean you've had a good idea who Eclipse really is? Since when!?"

"Since I saw that flyer of yours, Mercury," said Uranus. "That woman, the roboticist, Erina Kizachi… Doesn't she look familiar? Long black hair, dark glasses, rather short?" Chibi-Moon saw the light of realization slowly shine in Mercury's eyes, and it clearly tore at her. Erina Kizachi must've been another scientific genius she looked up to. Now it looked like it wasn't just her heroes among the X-Men that Mercury would be butting heads with. Chibi-Moon felt more sullen than ever. This crisis regarding Eclipse was weighing on everyone. "Isn't it funny how a killer robot suddenly comes out of nowhere, to hold up the two Sailor Senshi with the power to bring Eclipse to her knees?"

"This could be another reason the X-Men are in Japan," Neptune pointed out. "If there's a new line of these Sentinels out there, doubtless they won't stand idly by."

"So on top of Eclipse, we have to worry about Sentinels too," said Sailor Moon. "And now, after tonight, there's no asking the X-Men for help with any of it. No way they'll trust any of us now." Chibi-Moon recoiled from the hurt, the feelings of disappointment and betrayal, in the voice of her future mother.

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Usagi's hands gripped the bathroom counter as she groggily craned her head up to look into her reflection, still in her pajamas. It had been a restless night, trying to get to sleep after clashing with Eclipse, X-Men and now Sentinels. The following day proved even more difficult. Not only had the rift between the Outers and the rest of the Senshi grown somewhat wider, there was disagreement about how to proceed. Should they try to patch things up with the X-Men? Do they ready themselves for another clash?

Technically, as their princess, whatever she says goes, but now Usagi's confidence in her own leadership was shaken more than ever. Usagi _NEEDED_ the X-Men. She felt there was little hope in truly helping Naru without them. It was such a sadistic dilemma, her loyalty to the Sailor Senshi clashing with her desperate need for the X-Men's help. It was practically a prayer answered, the X-Men showing up in Japan. Only Usagi realized it too late, and before she could fix that mistake, the Senshi-on-mutant brawling had begun.

The only thing the Senshi could all agree on was that Ami's chemical concoction was more important than ever. So as Ami, Michiru and Mamoru labored on, someone else always stood watch with Rei. Usagi's shift had been late last night. Of course, Rei berated her for reading while on official Senshi business at the shrine. Even if it was more of Professor Xavier's book, rather than Rei's manga. Why? Was it because they had to view Charles Xavier as their enemy now?

Usagi grit her teeth as she looked into her teary-eyed reflection, remembering how Rei's verbal abuse stung worse than usual. Rei had ranted as if Usagi forgot which side she was on. Did she have to make this even more difficult!? Usagi knew what had to be done. Ami's weapon was vital, now that they knew the Ginzuishou couldn't help. Usagi still couldn't believe it. Was Eclipse corrupted that much? The Ginzuishou had failed before, such as the second time she tried to purge the darkness from Mamoru's mind. Was it the same case here? If Haruka was right about Eclipse being Erina Kizachi, then the corruption had spread right to her pure heart.

 _That seems to be happening to everyone,_ Usagi pondered sorrowfully. _Kizachi's husband, spreading all those lies about mutants, and she's building Sentinels… Why? She's a mutant, too! Is she spreading hate and destruction just for the sake of it? Why!?_

Usagi looked down as more tears flowed, but a soft cackle made her head snap back up. Sorrow turned to shock and horror as she saw Queen Beryl's face smirking back at her in the mirror. "What did I tell you before, princess?" jeered Beryl. "This world is rotten to the core. Oh, you vanquished me, and all those that came after me. And for what? The people of your country to turn on themselves, over fear of what's different!"

Usagi could only stare slack-jawed at her old nemesis. She didn't need _THIS_ on top of Eclipse, Sentinels and the X-Men now distrustful of the Sailor Senshi. "T-T-T-This is impossible!" she shrilled, not caring who in the house heard. "You're dead! You're gone! We searched D-Point half a day and found no trace of you!"

"Oh, you need not worry yourself over me, princess," said Beryl with a sardonic smile. "Looks like you've got more than enough to concern yourself with at the moment."

Before Usagi could demand what Beryl meant, a hand shot out from her left, clamping down on her throat. The next thing Usagi knew, she was thrown through the bathroom window, tumbling down painfully a good few meters onto her front yard.

 _Ugh, how come a Sailor Senshi's stamina can't bleed over when we're not transformed?_ Usagi wondered, every joint screaming in protest as she struggled to sit up. Once she finally did, she was greeted with the sight of Naru jumping down after her. But there was something different about her. Now she wore a strange blue jumpsuit with a red V over her torso, along with golden pauldrons and some golden headband with communications equipment worked in. It looked like what was worn by… "Oh no no no, that's an Acolyte uniform!" Usagi cried out in horror. "You've joined up with Magneto!?"

"What else was there for me, Usagi!?" Naru demanded as she walked closer. With how Usagi's body ached all over, she could only crawl backwards a little, nowhere near fast enough. "The whole country's turned against my kind! But I trusted you, Usagi. Confided in you. But when I needed you most, you weren't there!" Now tears of rage and frustration flowed down Naru's cheeks. "This whole country needed you! All of Japan's mutants needed you, but you've done nothing! Now I see the truth… You're just like all the other _Homo sapiens_ , Usagi! Worthless!" Naru had finally closed the gap. With her strength, she effortlessly hoisted a crying, screaming Usagi over her head."Good-bye, Sailor Moon," she spat with utter contempt. And then Naru brought Usagi down, shattering her spine against her raised knee.

And with that, Usagi awoke, sitting up in her bed with a deafening shriek. Something Luna wasn't shy about railing against. "Ugh, sleeping in the same room as you is becoming an occupational hazard, Usagi!" hissed Luna as she climbed back up onto the bed. "What was this nightmare about? Something to do with the Ginzuishou not working?"

It took a moment until Usagi calmed down enough, letting it sink in it was just a bad dream. It had to be. After all, Naru would never actually go bad and join Magneto, right?

"No, Luna. It's…something else I haven't been able to do," said Usagi softly. She glanced out the window. The rays of the morning sun gently shone through. It actually was still morning, so now that she was wide awake from her nightmare, Usagi figured she might as well face the day.

"Usagi, what is it that…" Luna began, but Usagi threw off her covers and shuffled into the bathroom. Soon enough, she had thrown on a dress and shuffled down the stairs to get some breakfast. Perhaps her nightmare hadn't woken her as early as she had thought, for her mother had already cooked breakfast for everyone. Leftover waffles were still on a plate by the oven, and thankfully, they were still warm. Usagi decided to eat by herself, so she could be alone with her thoughts. Of all the nightmares she had since becoming Sailor Moon, this one might be the absolute worst. Naru turning evil? She wasn't as strong as Colossus, or a trained fighter like Gambit and Cable, but she was still the last mutant Usagi wanted to fight. The other night brought enough pointless fighting with mutants, anyway.

And it seemed that fate wouldn't let her forget about it anytime soon. She heard Shingo cry out in excitement from the living room. "Wow, I don't think anyone's gotten video footage of the Sailor Senshi like this before!"

Usagi had been about to take another bite, but her fork clattered back onto her plate as she sat there, frozen from shock. It took a few moments to work up the courage to get up and see what Shingo was blathering about. As she walked in to the living room, Shingo was sitting on the floor, while Ikuko sat on the couch. And there, on the television, was video footage of the Sailor Senshi's fight with the X-Men. Usagi winced as she saw, once again, Cable incapacitate Sailor Uranus with a telepathic attack, only to be stopped by her blazing tiara.

"Awesome!" cried Shingo. "Sailor Moon sure showed that big mutant bully who's boss!" Usagi never wanted to slap Shingo around harder than she did just then. Considering everything she put up with from her bratty brother so far, that was saying something.

"Shhhh, Shingo. I want to hear what they're saying," chided Ikuko. "I missed most of this when it was on the news last night."

"This video footage was provided anonymously to our station yesterday evening, showing the Sailor Senshi encountering the mutant team from overseas, known as the X-Men, and fighting them to a standstill," said the news anchor. "Details are sketchy at this point, but it is believed that the Sailor Senshi were trying to apprehend the mutant criminal dubbed Eclipse, while the X-Men sought to take her as part of some unknown agenda."

"Aw great, those stupid X-Men ruined a perfect opportunity to get Eclipse off the streets!" huffed Shingo. That urge to smack her brother was still rising, and it would rise higher still. "Leave it to those freaks to stick together. We've got enough trouble with mutants here in Tokyo without these yahoos from America thrown into the mix."

"I agree, Shingo. The way Eclipse has been viciously assaulting people… It's clear we can't really trust mutants," said Ikuko.

Hearing those words pass her mother's lips stung worse than anything Shingo could splutter. She was _MARRIED_ to the man who was there when the X-Men first saved the world, and even she was spewing this bile!? "Mama, I can't believe you," Usagi muttered softly, alerting her mother to her presence at last.

Ikuko turned to see Usagi standing there. "Oh, good morning Usagi. I didn't expect you to wake up so…"

"I don't believe this, Mama! Even you have this attitude about mutants!? YOU!? Didn't Papa tell you _ANYTHING_ about what the X-Men do for us!?" cried Usagi. How could her mother feel this way when Haruna Sakurada was the complete opposite!? "What if I was born…different, Mama!? Or maybe Shingo!? What then!? What would be your feelings about mutants then!?"

For a moment, Ikuko just sat there, nonplussed, stunned by her daughter's outburst. "U-U-Usagi, what's gotten… I mean…"

"And YOU, Shingo!" Usagi roared, rounding on him. "Tell me something: Why are the X-Men the freaky weirdos while the Sailor Senshi get a pass!? What do YOU know about the Sailor Senshi!? What do ANY of us know!? Maybe they were born with their powers, too! Maybe they're even mutants themselves! What would you say about THAT, huh!?" Shingo just stared back, nonplussed as well.

It took some time for Ikuko to find her voice again. "Usagi, what's…gotten into you?" she pleaded. "Why the sudden…"

Usagi didn't bother to listen to whatever her mother had to say. She stormed off, fighting back tears. Usagi always wondered if she could safely share her secret with her family someday. Luna, of course, would strenuously object, but Usagi always took solace with the notion that they could be trusted. Now that comforting notion was shattered forever.

As Usagi passed the stairs, Luna bounded down them. "Usagi, I heard you yelling. Is everything…"

Usagi said nothing at first, roughly hoisting Luna up by the scruff of her neck, eliciting a hiss of protest from her. "Come on, Luna, we're outta here. Let's head to the shrine," Usagi said gruffly.

"Usagi, what's going on!?" Luna demanded as Usagi cradled her in her arms, kicking open the front door. "How much plainer can it be that there's something bugging you and you SIMPLY WON'T TELL ANYONE!?"

"Keep it down while we're outside, Luna," Usagi whispered nonchalantly. "Besides, shouldn't you be happy? Getting to the shrine right away on official Senshi business, instead of loafing around until it's my shift." That seemed to shut Luna up for the moment, but Usagi knew that the cat wouldn't let this drop so easily.

The long walk to the shrine helped Usagi to clear her head somewhat. She only hoped there was good news once she reached it. Ami had hinted during Usagi's shift last night that today, finally, their anti-Eclipse weapon would be ready. So all they had to do was lure Eclipse out and use it, and hope the X-Men wouldn't butt in again. The fact that Cerebro and telepathy couldn't track Eclipse didn't matter, though. Cerebro COULD track the Senshi. That left a sickening pit in Usagi's stomach, knowing it was a good chance the two teams would clash again.

Usagi tried to remain hopeful as she ascended the stone steps leading to Rei's shrine, Luna following close behind. Once she did, Usagi noticed Makoto was out on the grounds outside, in her training gi, going through her forms. "Looks like I'm not the only one with nothing better to do than come here well before her shift," Usagi called out to her friend.

Makoto stopped with her forms. "Oh, hi Usagi. Yeah, I figured I'd get back to some serious training. I figured it'd really stick in Haruka's craw if I can pelt a certain card-flinging Cajun when she couldn't," Makoto said slyly. "Though I wouldn't know what to do about the metal guy, except maybe zap him. And it's not like this sort of prep would help much if more of those…things show."

"I know what you mean," said Usagi glumly. "Sentinels, actual Sentinels… I think we'll be nostalgic for the good old days of Daimon ripping out hearts and Lemures stealing dreams soon enough."

"That's just it," said Makoto. "How have things gotten so bad, so fast, that we're wishing we could go back to that insanity?"

"I…don't really know, Makoto," said Usagi. "Let's just…hope Ami's weapon finally ends this." She didn't bother mentioning the drastic measures Michiru insisted they take if it didn't.

Usagi approached the shrine's front door, noticing Rei sweeping the cobblestones. She looked surprised to see Usagi there so early, but said nothing. Once inside, Usagi peeked into the makeshift laboratory. Ami, Mamoru and Michiru were still hard at work, but Chibiusa was there too, clinging to Mamoru. Naturally, a little envy welled up, but Usagi found it easier to quell than usual. There was just so much going on right now…

Not that Usagi would have much time to berate her future daughter, in any case. "Odango, you're here pretty early," Haruka called out from behind her. Usagi turned to see Haruka standing there, alongside Minako and Artemis. "That's…good. We need to talk."

"I don't want to hear anything about being too soft, Haruka. About Eclipse, about mutants, about the X-Men, any of it," Usagi warned. After hearing her own mother spout such vile prejudice, Usagi simply wasn't in the mood and made it known. What good was being leader of the Sailor Senshi if you couldn't lay down the law once in a while?

"It's not about any of that, Usagi," said Haruka quickly. "Well, it _**IS**_ about our Eclipse situation, and there's something else we'll need your help for."

"With the Ginzuishou turning out to be useless, I don't see what else I can do," said Usagi darkly.

"It's...complicated, Odango. It'll take a while to explain, so first I think I let Minako say her piece," said Haruka. "You see, her Interpol contacts finally got back to her."

Usagi didn't see how Interpol could gather anything useful on Eclipse, even if she was really Erina Kizachi. But as Minako relayed her intel, it suddenly got a little clearer. "It turns out the yakuza have been buying up a lot of tech stuff these last few days. Stuff that can be used for big-league robotics projects. That warehouse by the river where you first fought Eclipse, there's a chance a good chunk of it came in through there. Now, as of the other night, what super-secret robotics venture were we made privy to?"

Usagi still hadn't woken up completely yet, despite the long walk, so it took a moment or two before Minako's question became clear. "The Sentinels," she said at length. "You think Erina Kizachi was using the yakuza to smuggle in all the stuff she needed to build Sentinels."

"And then there's how Eclipse suddenly decides to royally wreck any yakuza she can find in a fifty kilometer radius," added Artemis. "It's as if she's covering her tracks, disposing of the yakuza outfits that helped get her the needed components and begin production."

"There's another angle to her yakuza connections, and Minako's contacts corroborated it," said Haruka. She held up a file full of printed papers. "I did a little more digging on our dumpy roboticist. Turns out she has a nephew who was in with the yakuza and did some time, even screwed up and got his pinky chopped off in ritualistic fashion before that. From what I've been digging up, it sounds like Kizachi grew really exasperated with the yakuza over how they lured her nephew in and mistreated him. This could just be payback as well, pure and simple."

"And that's not the only connection we found," said Minako. "Both Haruka and I thought we should check the financial records of Erina Kizachi's company." Haruka pulled out a paper from that file and handed it to Usagi. As Usagi tried to make sense of the jumble of words and numbers, Minako went on. "Turns out Kizachi's robotics firm got a significant contribution some time ago from a shell company. One set up by a certain Masato Sanjoin. I'm sure you remember _THAT_ name."

Usagi looked up from the paper, eyes widening, then looked back down at saw the name of Masato Sanjoin, plain as day. Alongside an astronomical sum of yen. Luna chimed in, pointing out the obvious. "So this is it. The connection to the Dark Kingdom we've been looking for, however tenuous."

"It could just be a coincidence. From what I understand, Nephrite worked hard to set up his Masato Sanjoin façade," said Haruka. "But in light of what we found out about Kizachi and the yakuza, and these Sentinels… Usagi, it fits. Everything fits."

Some instinct still told Usagi it couldn't be so simple. Yet, the connections were there, plain as day, though there were still unanswered questions. "But why build Sentinels in the first place? Just to get at the Sailor Senshi? And what about how her husband's helping spread anti-mutant paranoia?"

Haruka shook her head. "No way to tell at this point. Perhaps Nephrite aimed to have Kizachi build Sentinels for just that reason, or maybe gain an edge over the rest of the Shitennou too. And when you finished Queen Beryl, she carried on on her own. Perhaps it's irrelevant at this point. Now that we know Erina Kizachi is Eclipse, it'll make taking her down easier once the weapon is done. Minako's contacts let us know there's probably another shipment of robotics equipment coming in late tonight. There's a good chance Eclipse will want to claim it herself and polish off more connected yakuza, now that the Sailor Senshi, the X-Men and even Interpol are getting wind. Catch her in the act, take her down, and maybe everyone will calm down when it comes to mutants. But before that, maybe you can help us with more of this puzzle."

It looked like everything was finally coming together. Eclipse's identity revealed, her next target indentified, and Ami's weapon nearly ready. Still, that nagging notion that puzzle pieces were missing remained. "Me? Me personally? How?" asked Usagi.

"Don't you remember? Naru was close to Nephrite for a little while," Luna pointed out. "Maybe he told her something about his plans as Masato Sanjoin. It'd be good to know if he did. In case Eclipse gets away again, or she refuses to talk before we hand her over to the authorities, we might at least get answers that way."

Usagi looked down at Luna with a dubious look, then back at the paper. Naru's first love, so cruelly taken from her. With everything else Naru was going through, Usagi didn't want to reopen that old wound.

Sensing her reluctance, Haruka said, "Look, Odango… I know you still must be mad about the other night. I admit it, Michiru and I lost our heads, and things turned out lousy for everyone. That's why we have to move quickly and gather as many clues as we can, before the X-Men do. If we can avoid them until this whole Eclipse mess is over…"

"What about the Sentinels? Did that not sink in? _GIANT ROBOTS_ armed with machine guns and missiles, gunning for _US_ ," Usagi cut in. Plus, they were originally conceived as mutant-hunting robots… Usagi doubted Naru's toughness would keep her from getting ripped to shreds by a minigun. "I bet the X-Men are here for them, too. I don't think there's any avoiding the X-Men now. We may not need them for Eclipse, but Sentinels are a different story."

There was an awkward pause before Haruka replied. "One thing at a time, Odango. Besides, if we capture Eclipse tonight, that may mean the end for these Sentinels. Cut off the head, the body will wither. No one to maintain Sentinels and build more. Still, it would pay if your friend remembers anything important, but if you're afraid off ripping open old wounds…"

"No, I'll go do it," said Usagi suddenly, surprising herself. Haruka was right about finding out more about these new Sentinels. But as usual, furthering the Sailor Senshi's goals meant Naru getting caught in the crossfire in some fashion. It was as if fate kept playing cruel games with her old friend. "It looks like I've got nothing better to do before we're ready to take on Eclipse. I mean, as far as my own research goes… I finished the rest of that book last night…"

In an eyeblink, Haruka's mood went from serious and somber, to utterly shellshocked. Minako, likewise, looked crestfallen. "Y-Y-You… You finished it? Professor Xavier's book? The WHOLE book!?" Minako asked dubiously.

Usagi could only nod dully, not sure why they had this reaction. Haruka and Minako kept looking like deer caught in the headlights on an incoming semi, even after Rei poked her head inside, jeering at them. "Ooooooh, did I hear Usagi wound up finishing Xavier's book after all?"

Minako was the first of the two to find her voice. "Well, urrr, t-t-t-that is…"

Grinning like a madwoman, Rei rushed back outside, but Usagi could hear her yell, "Hey Makoto, guess who finished the X-Men's leader's book!" A howl of frustration erupted from Makoto, while Rei rushed past Usagi to stick her head into her shrine's makeshift laboratory. "Guess who finished Xavier's book, everybody!" Everyone inside grumbled loudly s they threw down whatever they were working on.

"I don't get it," said Usagi. Looking down to Luna, she demanded, "Luna, what's going on? What's the big deal about this book all of a sudden?"

"As Americans say, I plead the fifth," said Luna flatly.

Meanwhile, Rei had made her way back over to Haruka and Minako, while Makoto had stormed inside with her duffel bag, wearing an exasperated expression. As Haruka dug out her wallet to retrieve some money, Makoto dug inside her bag to do the same. Minako pulled out some bills too, and the three began handing over money to Rei, their irritation radiating off them in waves. In stark contrast to Rei, who was beaming at them all, wearing a gloating smile.

"Yeah Usagi, it's not like everyone started a betting pool for when you'd throw down that book in frustration," Artemis said suddenly.

Minako hoisted Artemis up by the scruff of his neck. "Artemis, what did we recently talk about, regarding KEEPING YOUR BIG FAT MOUTH SHUT!?" she bellowed right into his face.

Usagi had been feeling down before coming here. Now she was downright mortified. Her friends were running bets upon her predicted failure, so certain she would quit!? Then the four in the laboratory shuffled out with handfuls of yen to fork over, wearing expressions of mingled embarrassment and irritation. "Let's hope your chemical weapon works better than your idea for a betting pool, Ami," Michiru hissed into Ami's ear. Ami just glowered back at her.

Usagi still heard Michiru, and couldn't contain her frustration. "Ami, this was _YOUR_ idea!?" Then Usagi saw both Mamoru AND Chibiusa hand over money. "Mamo-chan, Chibiusa… You made bets too!?" demanded Usagi incredulously. "TRAITORS!"

"Yes, betting against one's true love. Shame shame shame, Mamoru," Rei taunted as she greedily snatched up all their money. "Think on that while I count all this and decide how to spend it!"

Usagi was ready to follow up with a tirade against Mamoru of her own, but Rei's taunt made her realize something. "Wait a minute, Rei… If the betting was for when I'd quit reading, how come _YOU_ won the pool!?"

"Because, you meatball head, I'm the only one who bet that you'd actually _FINISH_ Xavier's book!" cried Rei, still giddy over her haul.

"B-B-B-But… Last night, you yelled at me for reading it!" Usagi reminded her.

"Ever hear of the tactic of reverse-psychology?" beamed Rei with a grin.

"And why would you be crazy enough to bet that I'd finish it?" demanded Usagi. "There's no way _**I'D**_ ever make that bet on myself!"

"I'm also curious as to what possessed you to make that bet, Rei," Ami added.

"Three reasons," said Rei, holding up three fingers. "First, the bet was about you simply finishing the book, Usagi. Nothing was said about any of Xavier's teachings getting through that thick skull." Usagi glowered at her. She was certainly more receptive for what the X-Men could teach than anyone else here! "Second, I've known you long enough to tell the subtle difference between the 'having a whim that'll fade with the setting sun' Usagi and the 'super-determined, full-speed ahead and damn the torpedoes' Usagi," Rei went on.

"And what's the third thing?" demanded Luna.

"The thing I can't believe no one's managed to learn except me," said Rei snidely. "No matter how much the odds look to be in your favor, _NEVER_ bet against Sailor Moon."

It was strange to hear that coming from Rei, but it did help mollify her mood a little. But only a little. "Well then, I guess I'd better get moving while before everyone grumps at me for making their wallets a little lighter," huffed Usagi as she walked out of the shrine. Off to make Naru relive a painful memory when she already had enough on her plate. Maybe Rei was right. Maybe Sailor Moon could clean up this mess soon enough after all. But there was still the nagging feeling that Naru, once again, would wind up getting the short end of the stick.

And while Usagi was preoccupied with her musings regarding Naru, she didn't bother to look back. If she had, she might have noticed Luna watching her go, wearing a quizzical expression, before taking off after her.

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Some habits were hard to kick, especially those borne of one's instincts. And Luna's instincts were telling her that there was far more going on with Usagi at the moment than anyone could guess. She had watched the girl for a long time, though it had often proved frustrating beyond belief. Luna fancied herself as Usagi's mentor as well as her guide, but often felt like guiding the girl was akin to smashing her face against a brick wall. Never able to focus, always obsessed with something trivial when the fate of the world was at stake, whining and crying about the littlest things…

Though Usagi had matured some since they first met. In many ways, Luna was proud of her. It was quite a burden that had landed n Usagi's shoulders. Not many could have shouldered that burden without breaking, but this cheerful, carefree slip of a girl had managed it, many times over. Thinking back to those early days, Luna realized how grateful she should be with how Usagi had grown. It didn't take nearly as much yelling and prodding to get her to take her duties as Sailor Moon seriously these days. Even with this Eclipse situation gnawing at her, Usagi did her part, despite her obvious reluctance.

But what was the root of this reluctance? It wasn't just about Eclipse, but mutants in general. Of course, it should have come as no surprise that Usagi's heart would bleed over what was happening in Japan these days. Others would scoff, call her soft-hearted and weak, but Luna knew it was perhaps Usagi's greatest strength.

Yet there was something going on that threatened to finally break Usagi, despite that subtle strength. Even worse, Usagi refused to open up about it, to anyone. And whatever it was that was eating at her, she actually seemed more willing to confide in these X-Men than her fellow Sailor Senshi! Her loyalty did not waver when the two teams clashed, but still…

And so, Luna found herself taking up her old habits. Namely, keeping a very close eye on Usagi, making sure she didn't make any stupid slip-ups. Usagi had opted to make her way to the jewelry store on foot, foregoing the buses. Which was fortunate for Luna, as she could easily tail Usagi while keeping out of sight. As she followed Usagi, Luna watched her body language. It practically screamed at Luna, betraying inner tumult, and a deep, maddening confusion. _Whatever's troubling you, Usagi, it's time to open up to us,_ Luna mused as she kept after Usagi, walking behind a row of bushes. _Erina Kizachi, Eclipse… Whatever her deal is, I won't let her break you, not after everything else you've been through._

At last, Usagi reached the OSA-P, but Luna hadn't been able to cross the street. Considering how busy traffic was, it looked like it would be a while before a cat could safely cross. Still, Luna's gaze was more or less fixed on the jewelry store's front door, rather than watching for traffic to clear up. Eventually, the doors slid open and Usagi walked out, looking crestfallen. Naru's mother, Mayuki Osaka, followed her out, wearing a look of concern. She spoke to Usagi, but it was hard to read her lips from across the street. However, if Luna had to hazard a guess, it looked like Naru wasn't home. Usagi muttered something to Mayuki, then turned to go, a hunch to her posture. When Usagi reached the front of the entrance to the alleyway beside the OSA-P, she nervously glanced around, right before ducking down it.

Fortunately, traffic had just let up enough for Luna to dart across the street. When she ran into the alley, Luna got there just in time to hear Usagi out, "Moon Crisis Makeup!"

There was a bright light from behind some cardboard boxes filled with garbage, and the sudden shock made Luna slide into one. Some empty bottles of laundry detergent rained down on Luna. Grumbling, she flung them aside, only to see Sailor Moon leap up to grab onto the fire escape on the building's second level, looking into the window. Did Mayuki say that Naru was not home, and Usagi suspect she was lying? Why would Naru's mother lie? Whatever the case, Sailor Moon sighed and shook her head, but instead of jumping back down to the alley, she bounded off the fire escape, rocketing toward the adjacent roof.

 _What's that girl up to now!?_ Luna fumed inwardly, running down the alley. She had little chance of keeping up with her at ground level, not while she was transformed into Sailor Moon and bounding across rooftops. Still, by glancing at the rooftops above, Luna could at least guess Sailor Moon's general direction. _At least I can be sure she's not doing anything frivolous. I drilled it into her head long ago that a Sailor Senshi's power isn't for personal games. Still, doing this in broad daylight… What's Usagi after?_

Before Luna lost track of Sailor Moon, it became clear that she heading toward a nearby part of town with a lot of abandoned factories and warehouses. Was she expecting to find Naru here? Why? She would have to claw the answers out of Sailor Moon, assuming she found her anytime soon. So Luna searched across all the decrepit, abandoned workplaces, keeping her ears pricked up for any telltale signs of Sailor Moon moving about.

Just as Luna started to lose hope she'd ever catch up with that capricious girl, she finally spotted her. There, on the slanted roof of some huge, wide, three-story warehouse, was Sailor Moon, forcing open a broken window. Given how rusty so much of the warehouse looked, it was no surprise that Sailor Moon could do so, especially given how her transformation made her a bit stronger. As Sailor Moon slipped through, trying to be particularly stealthy, Luna spotted a nearby stack of crates. It was a simple matter to climb to the top with her claws, then leap to the rusty roof to follow Sailor Moon inside.

It was rather dark inside, and Luna found herself grateful for her sharp, feline vision. A long, steel beam stretched out before her, and Luna could spot Sailor Moon on the far end. She was squatting, looking down at the warehouse floor with an unreadable, almost stony, expression. Luna didn't look down at first, concentrating more on balancing across the steel beam and content to ignore whatever caught Sailor Moon's attention for the moment. But eventually, the noise from below coaxed Luna into looking down.

Soft grunting, almost drowned out by creaking metal. Gazing down, at first Luna only noticed an old semi truck, disconnected from any trailer. But something funny was going on. The semi truck… It was steadily rising and falling, due to some unknown force! Gasping, Luna backtracked to near the window, then looked back down from her new vantage point. From her new angle, Luna could see someone was actually supporting the semi truck's weight on his back! Squinting for a better look, Luna gasped again. Not a he, but a she. She was wearing a grey sweatshirt and jogging pants, her face screwed up in concentration as she did squats while balancing a semi truck on her back, but Luna could still recognize who it was: Naru Osaka! Nearby, Umino was doing a similar exercise, doing squats while holding onto dumbbells. Naturally, that was decidedly unremarkable next to his girlfriend supporting several metric tons of metal as if it were nothing!

 _How could… Naru Osaka, benching_ _ **SEMI TRUCKS**_ _!?_ Luna's mind screamed, nearly going blank. Meanwhile, Naru continued her workout that easily shamed every bodybuilder in the country. _What in… NO ONE in Japan is_ _ **THAT**_ _strong! Well, except maybe…_ Then it finally clicked. The only other one she ever saw with such strength was the X-Man Colossus. A mutant. Luna looked back over to Sailor Moon, and it hit her. This was the reason she was so worked up about mutants. Her old friend turned out to be one, and she had no idea what to do about it among a rising tide of anti-mutant resentment.

Luna sympathized with Sailor Moon's plight, but at the same time, she was incensed. Why did Sailor Moon have to keep this a secret for so long!? Gritting her teeth, Luna dashed across the beam. Sailor Moon still had no idea she had been found out. Not even when Luna was right next to her, so Luna hissed, "Sailor Moon! When were you planning on telling us!?"

Shocked, Sailor Moon let out a yelp, almost teetering off the beam. She flailed her arms about in a vain attempt to keep her balance. Thankfully, she grabbed onto the beam as she toppled over, and hoisted herself back up. She stared sheepishly back at the cat for a moment. "Oh, uh, hey Luna!" said Sailor Moon, trying to sound innocent. "Ummm, why did you follow me?"

"I was hoping to find out what's been bugging you since this Eclipse mess began, and it looks like I struck gold," snarled Luna. "So this is why you're so preoccupied with mutants. You found out Naru's one of them."

"Is that a crime, being a mutant?" scoffed Sailor Moon.

"Of course not!" Luna shot back. "But in the name of… You could have told us, Usagi! We would've understood where you were coming from! I mean, how long have you known!?"

"Since soon after Tiger's-Eye went after her. That must've triggered her X-gene. She saved me from Fish-Eye with her powers one night, when Chibiusa wasn't around. She stopped a runaway fire engine set to flatten me, then lifted the whole thing to flatten a Lemure," explained Sailor Moon.

Hearing Naru Osaka was _THAT_ deadly in battle was perplexing enough, but Luna was more preoccupied not with the what, but the when. "Wait… _THAT'S_ what stressed her out enough to let her mutant power surface? Tiger's-Eye putting the moves on her!?" Luna spat disbelievingly.

"Why so skeptical?" demanded Sailor Moon.

"Because with everything the Dark Kingdom put her through, you'd think her mutant genes would've been turned on sooner! Would've saved us a lot of trouble if she could've fended off their youma herself!" barked Luna. "Oh, you are so lucky that her mutant powers are a relatively recent thing. If she had these powers back when Beryl was around and you kept it from me, I _WOULD_ be pissed! Not to diminish Sailor Jupiter or anything, but we sure could've used that sort of muscle back then! She would've been on the team in a heartbeat! I would've been like, 'OK, normally to be a Sailor Senshi, you have to be a reincarnated princess and possess a planet's Star Seed. In light of your insane strength level, however, that requirement is officially waived. You are _SO_ hired. Welcome to the Sailor Senshi, Naru Osaka. Hope you survive the experience.'"

To both Luna's delight and frustration, Sailor Moon actually smiled. "I…think Naru would've liked to have heard that, at one time," she said, before looking back down at Naru and Umino. "But nowadays, I don't think she'd fancy the job…"

"Never mind that for now," hissed Luna. "How'd you even know Naru was here to begin with?"

"I didn't," said Sailor Moon. "But Naru's mom said she had this excuse of helping Umino salvage parts or whatever in places like this, so I figured I might as well do some searching. Actually, I'm not really surprised to see Naru practicing using her powers like this. I saw her earlier this week, and used this excuse of doing this workout regimen with Umino to skip off. Looks like she wasn't lying."

Looking back down to the ground level, Luna watched as Naru carefully set the semi truck down. It was still mind-boggling, watching the girl Sailor Moon had to rescue time and again possess the strength to lift entire trucks. Which saved Sailor Moon in turn. "If she's gotten even stronger since that night she flattened a Lemure, maybe we _SHOULD_ bring her onto the team," Luna suggested. "If Ami's chemical fails, we're out of options. Let's have a mutant of our own ready to take on Eclipse."

"I…d-d-don't think that's a good idea," said Sailor Moon nervously. Meanwhile, Umino had ceased with his weightlifting workout, and the pair walked over to where an old pickup truck lay on its side, bolted to the floor. Umino stood by the front end, while Naru positioned herself in front of its underside. Luna heard Umino say something to Naru, who simply nodded, and then she raised her fists. She launched a bone-crushing punch into the truck's underbelly, and the whole warehouse echoed with the sound of steel giving way before Naru's fist. Then Naru launched another punch, and then another and another. Each punch left a deep impression in the truck's underside, and Naru just kept throwing more, reducing it to nothing but a huge punching bag. Now glass was shattering as Naru kept up the barrage of punches, and some parts flew free of the truck's underside.

For a moment, Luna could only gape at the display of insane muscle power. "Are you sure, Usagi? Not only would she be handy in a fight against Eclipse, but the X-Men too. At least that Colossus guy would be covered…"

"She doesn't want the job anymore," said Sailor Moon darkly. "Luna, I…think she suspects who Sailor Moon really is, and Naru's not too fond of Usagi Tsukino these days. She feels like I've been ignoring her after I grew closer to the other Senshi, and frankly, I can't really blame her."

More of the puzzle fell into place. Now Luna finally understood the gravity of what was eating away at Usagi. "Well, at least we don't have to worry about you being exposed. Both of you know a secret about the other." Sailor Moon just glared at Luna for being so coldly practical. Getting the hint, Luna added, "Still, I see what you mean about not wanting to drag her into a fight with Eclipse…"

"Or the X-Men," said Sailor Moon quickly. "I need them, Luna. They'll know what to do about Naru. I read Xavier's entire book and I'm still clueless. But for now, I better go do what I came here to do. You stay here Luna."

"How come?" demanded Luna.

"Because Naru already suspects Sailor Moon is Usagi Tsukino, remember?" Sailor Moon said tersely. "You want Naru to see Sailor Moon with Usagi's cat and remove all doubt?" With that, Usagi dropped down from the beam, landing softly on the warehouse floor, dozens of meters away from where Naru was training. Luna couldn't help but fixate on that again. Such incredible strength… Luna still desperately wanted that sort of power on their side. But now knowing how resentful and frustrated Naru had grown, seeing her unleash that power made Luna a little anxious.

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"Come on, Naru! Harder! Show this truck who's boss! _NOTHING_ can get in your way!" Umino shouted in encouragement as Naru unloaded more and more punches. Naru obliged, gritting her teeth as she punched the truck's underside again and again, harder than ever before. While holding onto the truck's front end, Umino could feel the sheer force of her blows vibrate through the metal. Even after all these months, Umino couldn't help but be in awe of Naru's strength. Naru, however, was terrified of her strength in the beginning, and still went through each day fearful that she would slip up. Expose herself as a mutant, accidentally hurting someone in the process.

That was the point of these training sessions with Naru. Learn to live with her super strength, while at the same time not being afraid of unleashing her full strength it if the time ever came.

No, not if, when. Umino tried not to dwell on it, but he knew one day, in a country growing distrustful of mutants, Naru's secret would be exposed. When that day came, Umino would stay beside her, consequences be damned. In the meantime, he would prepare Naru the best he could. That was why he bought that book by the specialist in mutation from overseas, Professor Charles Xavier. Ami was borrowing it, but that was fine. Umino already read it cover to cover and practically memorized the whole thing. It had proven quite useful. During those first few days after that night Naru saved both him and Sailor Moon, Naru had grown distant. Not exactly pushing him away, but not really opening up either. That book had gone a long way toward getting Naru to come out of her shell and truly trust him, now that he knew her dark secret. It had required a lot of patience of his part, the way Naru kept him at arm's length at first, but that didn't matter to Umino. Love was supposed to be patient, love was supposed to be understanding. He refused to let himself grow frustrated with Naru, and that patience was paying off. With each passing day, Naru grew more comfortable with her superpowers, more confident…

And it showed with the way Naru laid into this truck. Another metal-crunching punch, and then another and another. Umino pitied the poor soul who ever got on the receiving end of his girlfriend's pulverizing blows. Naru howled as she punched and punched, leaving deeper indentations than ever, and Umino instinctively knew she was about to cut loose like never before. He let go of the front end just in time. Naru unleashed a fierce uppercut into the truck's underside, ripping it free from the beams holding it to the floor. It skidded across the floor, right through the warehouse's rusty walls.

Umino could only gape at the hole in the wall for a moment. "Wow, good thing no one hardly ever comes around here," he muttered. "But at this rate, we'll soon run out of trucks for you to practice on…" Meanwhile, Naru just stood there, staring at her handiwork as she breathed heavily. There was still a little fear in her eyes, but now, Umino saw it had largely been supplanted with resignation. That this was a power she was stuck with, for better or worse. Still, it made Umino feel a little anxious, seeing this resignation didn't exactly bring the relief that should come with acceptance. Walking up to her, he gently rested his hands on her shoulders. Massaging them would probably be useless, but the comforting gesture was important. "Still, this has been paying off. After all these months of weight training with trucks, I bet you're almost twice as strong as before."

Naru put a hand over his, as gently as she could. The gesture pressed his fingers down onto the muscle and bone in her shoulder quite firmly. Not hard enough to cause pain, but there was no way Umino could've pulled his hand away. Still, it was an improvement over earlier days. He should have suspected something before that night's shocking revelations, when Naru would grab his wrist or his hand so hard, it actually hurt. And as Naru opened up, she would tell Umino of how at first her super strength was so troublesome, she couldn't hold a glass without shattering it, and ripped doors off their hinges back home. Small wonder Naru had been so distracted at school, she got detention instead of Usagi that week.

"Oh it's not just me," Naru said softly, turning around to face him. She nudged ever closer, grabbing onto his upper arm. Again, not hard enough to inflict pain, but firmly enough to ensure Umino couldn't pull away. Of course, why would he want to? "You've beefed up too, Umino. Oh, you'll tell me it was to show your solidarity, to show you're willing to push yourself just as hard as I need to, but… Let's be honest, there's been a change in you too." With that, Naru actually slipped her other hand just under his shirt, brushing her fingertips against his belly. Just the shock of skin against skin sent shivers through Umino, but the way those fingers could press so deeply, despite the newly-developed muscle Naru mentioned…

"Uh, Naru, what're you doing?" Umino asked anxiously. Up until now, Naru had kept the physical contact to a minimum, due to lingering fear of hurting him.

"You have to ask? Rewarding hard work," Naru whispered seductively, pulling him closer so that their lips crashed together. They had kissed a few times before her mutant powers surfaced, but it was never like this. Naru kissed him with raw passion, rendering Umino helpless more surely than her strength ever could. Of course, that came into play as well. Naru's hand went from his stomach to the back of his head, pressing him closer. Not to mention her tongue easily forced his mouth open like a screwdriver. Even the muscles in Naru's tongue possessed insane power!

 _Well, you wanted Naru to be more comfortable with her strength. Here you go,_ Umino mused to himself, with the part of his brain that could still operate logically. Mostly, though, Umino's mind and body surrendered to Naru's embrace, submitting to her strength and her ravenous passion, rather than resisting it. In a way, Naru was right. It sure felt like his patience with her was being rewarded. All he ever wanted was for Naru to accept his love and return it. Who cared if Naru did so while abusing her strength?

They stayed locked in that embrace for a few moments. Umino wasn't quite sure how long, only that Naru broke the kiss after they heard the sound of metal clanging nearby, followed by a nervous wail. Being lost in the bliss that was locking lips with Naru, it took a moment for normal cognition to reassert itself. When it did, he looked where Naru's gaze had drifted.

They had a guest, from the looks of it. At least it was someone who already knew Naru was a mutant, and obviously wouldn't betray that secret. "Well, uh, nice to know you two are taking this relationship somewhere!" said Sailor Moon with a nervous laugh. "I didn't mean to interrupt like this, but you know, clumsy ol' me…"

With Sailor Moon herself admitting to that, it became even easier to swallow Naru's suspicions regarding who she really was. _Could she really be Usagi Tsukino?_ Umino wondered. _If so… I sure got a habit falling for girls who wind up having superpowers._ But with the way Naru was staring at her, it was clear his girlfriend had something different on her mind. Naru had opened up about her frustration with Usagi, along with her theory that she was actually Sailor Moon. And that frustration looked to be bubbling up again.

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Is it a good time to be a fan of both these franchises? For Sailor Moon fans, there's another season of the _Crystal_ reboot coming eventually, and the upcoming _Le Mouvement Final_ musical. For X-Men fans, 2018 is slated to have THREE different live-action movies. I think it's only this year that Disney managed to churn out three different MCU films, and one of them is still distributed by Sony and Columbia Pictures. And one of them will finally have Cable! Too bad I didn't have a live-action incarnation of him to draw upon in time for this story, like with the other X-Men. Still, I find myself longing for something that may never come: a fresh new Sailor Moon game (not some smartphone bullshit), preferably in the mold of _X-Men Legends_.

So long,

Grey-X


	10. Miserable Piles of Secrets

Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 10: Miserable Piles of Secrets

7-31-2017

By Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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It was weird, really. The other night, Sailor Moon had no problem tackling three X-Men. Granted, it was with the utmost reluctance, but there hadn't really been any fear, either. But now, facing Naru again as Sailor Moon for the first time since that night Fish-Eye attacked Umino, Sailor Moon found dread bubbling up within her, though she tried to put up her usual cheerful veneer to hide it. It wasn't because of Naru's outrageous strength, should she suddenly go bonkers. After all, Sailor Neptune took a few hits from Colossus and walked away fine. No, it was something else, seeing the hurt beneath that cold stare of Naru's. A stark contrast with Umino, who simply exuded more anxious exuberance than usual.

"Well, uh, this is certainly a surprise," said Umino nervously. "Is there, uh, a reason you're here, Sailor Moon? Should we be getting ready to run for our lives?"

"What? Oh, oh no, nothing like that," Sailor Moon said quickly with a nervous laugh. "I mean, what, do I really need the excuse of some freaky monster being on the loose to go see someone? Besides, it's not like Naru will need me anymore for that sort of thing!"

Sailor Moon laughed again, hoping this was diffusing the tension. Yet Naru remained silent for a few moments, just staring back at Sailor Moon coolly. "No, I…guess I don't," she said at length, looking down at herself as she clenched her fists.

"I…never did get to thank you for saving me, Naru," said Sailor Moon. "You…ran off too quickly. It's…good to see you're OK with being a mutant now."

"As OK as I can be," said Naru darkly. "Umino's…been helping with that."

"Sure have! Naru's on the road to mastering her mutant powers!" Umino cried, placing his hands on Naru's shoulders. Naru just rolled her eyes. "Why, when we're done, I bet Naru will be able to trade blows with the Hulk himself, and…"

Naru got him to stop by placing a hand over his and giving it a gentle squeeze. Gentle from her perspective, at least, for it made Umino wince and grit his teeth. "Please, Umino, let's not think too far ahead," Naru pleaded. "And I'm sure there's a good reason Sailor Moon's come to see us after all this time…"

"Oh, right! Yeah, you're right about that," said Sailor Moon, laughing again. It was laughter to cover up her growing unease. After all this time, Sailor Moon was still clueless as to how to approach Naru, and her irritation with Usagi Tsukino seemed to have grown over time. "Actually, it's something really important I need your help with, Naru. I need information."

"Information?" Naru repeated dubiously. "What kind of information? Why would you think I have it?"

"It's, well…" Sailor Moon struggled with how to word it. How to bring up her lost first love on top of everything else she was facing? Especially with the boyfriend completely devoted to her right next to her? Sailor Moon eventually decided there was no easy way to say it, so she just said it. "I, just, well… I need to know if Nephrite told you about something, before he, well…"

As Sailor Moon feared, just hearing that name was like an arrow through the heart. Figuratively, of course, still real arrows would probably just bounce off her. "Mr. Sanjoin?" she asked, her features softening, sorrow filling her eyes. "What about him?"

"It's…about something he did while still, well, evil," said Sailor Moon uneasily. She desperately wanted to minimize the pain this was causing. "I just found out he once made an investment in Erina Kizachi's company."

"The famous roboticist?" Umino demanded incredulously, still nursing his hand. "What's she got to do with Sanjoin?"

"Because the Sailor Senshi think he was commissioning her to build Sentinels," said Sailor Moon darkly.

Umino must've respected Kizachi as much as Ami, but that made Umino's attitude shift from admiration to disgust. "She's…building Sentinels!? The big, evil, mutant-hunting Sentinels!?" he demanded, looking fearfully over to Naru. Naru, however, didn't seem all that concerned. "What makes you think that?"

"Because some of the other Senshi ran into one the other night," said Sailor Moon. "This thing… Sailor Mercury thinks it's a completely new design, and was built just to fight us. But who knows what they'll be used for next? Maybe they'll be going after mutants again, too. Naru, I really need to know if Nephrite told you anything. He was ready to ditch the Dark Kingdom, but Erina Kizachi is probably carrying on their cause. I'm sure he'd want the Sentinels dealt with, especially if they're ever turned against you. I…don't want these things gunning for you, either. You've got enough to worry about."

Sailor Moon fervently hoped her plea was getting through to Naru. That bitterness had been simmering ever since her mutant powers surfaced, making her shut people out. From the looks of things, Umino was the only one she trusted. Maybe if she finally saw Sailor Moon working to protect mutants, those walls Naru built around herself would start to crumble.

Naru took her time answering. After staring back at Usagi for a moment, Naru looked over to the hole she made by punching that truck through it. "I'm not too worried about Sentinels right now," she said aloofly. "Like you said, Sailor Moon, I can take care of myself nowadays."

"But there's loads of other mutants in Japan who can't! Not against something like the Sentinels!" Sailor Moon implored.

"She's right, Naru. Sentinels aren't something to take lightly, from what I've read," added Umino. "If Sanjoin told you anything that can help Sailor Moon, I think you'd better spill it."

Naru shut her eyes tightly, and Sailor Moon could see glistening tears. Tears shed over Nephrite, or something more? Did she still think Sailor Moon was doing too little to protect mutants?

"I'm sorry, Sailor Moon, but Mr. Sanjoin never told me about what he did in business," said Naru glumly. "Whatever he did with this Erina Kizachi, I have no idea."

Sailor Moon's heart sank all over again. She just ripped open old wounds for nothing, and was no closer to getting Naru to come out of her shell. "It's OK, Naru. We'll find out what Kizachi is up to, eventually."

"As long as you're not busy fighting the X-Men," Naru pointed out with an acid bite.

Sailor Moon's insides froze as she winced. Yet again, the Sailor Senshi making the news wasn't helping with mutant relations. It took a moment for Sailor Moon to find her voice again. "Believe me, I had words with Uranus and Neptune for picking a fight for no reason," said Sailor Moon. "And now that there's Sentinels are after us, I made sure they have their priorities straight."

Naru just stared back coolly for a moment, then nodded. "Well, good luck, Sailor Moon. Sorry I can't be more of a help."

 _If Luna had her way, you would. But I don't want you anywhere near the fighting, Naru. I don't even want ME near the fighting, actually…_ Sailor Moon mused. Out loud, she said, "Good luck to you too. Keep benching those trucks!" After letting out yet another nervous laugh, she turned and jumped away, hoping Naru didn't see the tears she herself was beginning to shed.

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Michiru kept staring into the microscope. Over the last few days, her patience was wearing thin, especially after that frustrating clash with the X-Men. Most Daimon had the courtesy to at least be stymied by Sailor Neptune's attacks, and not be swift enough to consistently avoid them. Colossus was a different beast altogether. Between the X-Men making things more difficult and Eclipse resisting the Ginzuishou's purification, Ami's chemical weapon was their only hope of taking Eclipse out fast enough. Thus, the last day and a half tried Michiru's patience like never before.

But hard work and patience were finally paying off. Michiru couldn't help but smile a little as she watched the final results of their handiwork. One good thing from that battle the other night was that Ami was able to recover more of Eclipse's oil slick. So there was plenty of specimen to test Ami's completed weapon on. And right before Michiru's eyes, that goop's entire makeup was destabilizing, slowly becoming an inconsistent mess. Ami's plan to attack Eclipse through the protein structure of her greatest weapon had been a good one. Combined with the other chemicals in her weapon that would act as sedatives, they had the perfect means of bringing Eclipse down. At least in theory.

A nagging fact that Ami just had to reiterate. "So far, it looks like our weapon is effective is weapons on the samples we recovered from Eclipse. But without a way to field test it, there's no way to really know if it works on Eclipse until we douse her in it. It's just like antibiotics. Sometimes, _in vitro_ testing just can't tell you about its efficacy _in vivo_ ," Ami said matter-of-factly. Michiru looked up from the microscope to scowl at Ami as she went on. "So we'd better be careful about how we attack Eclipse with it, and be ready to clobber her if it fails."

"That's what you and me are for, Ami," said Makoto with a grin. The rest of the Senshi, along with Artemis, had gathered in the shrine's lab to discuss their next move. It didn't feel quite right without Usagi present. She was off gathering information no one else had a hope of obtaining, but still. As naïve and difficult as she could be, she was their princess, their leader. "But it's OK. Rei and I already got a plan of attack laid out."

"Really? You two?" Haruka spat dubiously. "You've figured out a surefire way to trap Eclipse when we've all failed twice?"

"Ooooh, listen to the tactical genius that got thumped by the X-Men _HARD_ ," Rei needled. "That is, before one of them thumped you at that racing game and stole a kiss."

Haruka glared back at Rei. "Says the one too scared to use spiritual power to track Eclipse for days, thanks to an X-Man's telepathy," she snarled. "I won't hesitate to rush at Cable next time he gets in our way. What was your excuse?"

"Enough, Haruka!" Michiru barked. Yes, the Inner Senshi could still be insufferable, but they all needed each other. That fight with the X-Men, seeing how those mutants functioned perfectly as a unit, drove that home. "If they already have a plan to use this weapon, let's hear it. It may be our last chance to capture Eclipse."

"Or, like you said, kill her if there's no other option," Minako reminded her.

"Are you still prepared to do that?" Makoto asked dangerously, before turning to look at everyone else. "Are we?"

"As much as I hate to say it, we may not have a choice," said Artemis. "With each attack, Eclipse gets more and more brazen. If she attacks the shipyard tonight, she may finally cross the line."

 _Funny how the cat has a better grasp than the Inner Senshi themselves,_ Michiru noted, seeing the lingering reluctance on their faces. Thankfully, Michiru sensed it wouldn't prevent them from doing what was necessary, should they run out of options. With the Ginzuishou's failure, they now understood how deep Eclipse's corruption went. And that she might be past the point of no return. "So as I said, let's not take success for granted and use our new weapon wisely," said Michiru.

"It's quite simple, really," said Rei. "We arrange a stakeout at the shipyard, tonight. If Eclipse shows, Ami and Makoto rush in and keep her busy, with the others on standby if things get ugly. The two Senshi with powers that can hurt her, ready to lay down the law… _THAT'LL_ frazzle her, for sure! And there won't be any Sentinels to save her oily hide this time!"

"We hope," grumbled Ami.

"And while she distracted by Ami and I, she's shot at by our weapon from afar," Makoto continued for Rei. "She got away from us twice thanks to quick thinking. This way, we take her completely by surprise! _NO_ chance to get away."

Amazingly, Michiru found herself liking the idea, but the stratagem still needed fine tuning. "What about the X-Men? We have to expect they'll show up at some point, and this time, there'll surely be more than three of them."

"Ami will have to have her visor on at all times, so she can spot them before they close in," said Mamoru tersely.

His unease wasn't lost on Chibiusa. "Mamo-chan, you OK? You still sense that Usagi is transformed?"

"Yeah, Chibiusa," grunted Mamoru. "It's weird. I know she's turned into Sailor Moon, but… There's no sense of danger, nothing that feels like she's in a fight, or even running into one…"

"Perhaps that's how she's coaxing information out of Naru," suggested Artemis. "I mean, she still hero-worships Sailor Moon, right?"

"I had the same thought. Which is the only reason I'm not rushing out of here now," muttered Mamoru.

"Just as long as she's back in time for the stakeout," said Michiru. "There's nine of those X-Men here, not counting their professor. Only with Sailor Moon will the odds be even."

"Even then… Those mutants were tough. That guy Cable… His telekinetic shield could really take a pounding," said Minako. "Not to mention what he did to Haruka's head, that didn't look fun." Michiru still found that galling, how these people could be a match for their team. They were the Sailor Senshi, reincarnated protectors connected to the very heavenly bodies of their solar system! Yet they had been stymied by people who were essentially freaks of nature!

"Another reason we'll need Usagi back soon," said Haruka, grimacing. No doubt she shared Michiru's sentiments. "She seems to know more about these mutants than any of us, and we're out of time to research them ourselves."

"She'll be here, X-Men fangirl or not," said Rei. "As airheaded as Usagi can be, she's finally taking this sort of thing seriously."

"By the way, your strategy… Makoto mentioned shooting the chemical at Eclipse. With what?" demanded Haruka.

"I thought no one would ever ask!" beamed Chibiusa. Michiru turned and saw she had begun dribbling Luna-P. Then she threw it up in the air, and with a puff of smoke, it came down as something entirely different. With a grin, Chibiusa caught what was essentially a sniper rifle perfectly sized for her, but one with a wide enough barrel to shoot something far bigger than bullets.

"That's…one way to use a chemical weapon from a distance," said Michiru, looking at Chibiusa's gun dubiously. "But…how easy is that to use? I don't suppose there's any way to get some practice before the stakeout?"

"Oh, I think I may have an idea," interjected Minako with a grin.

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"Well, that was a complete waste of the rest of our morning," grumbled Sailor Moon as she sat and leaned against a cooling tower. She had stayed transformed for their trip back, bounding across rooftops. Luna wished that she hadn't. It wasn't as easy for even a Mooncat to jump from rooftop to rooftop as it was for a Sailor Senshi. Still, Luna didn't complain. Sailor Moon had enough on her mind. "Naru knew nothing about what Nephrite used to be up to, and on top of that…"

"Don't worry, Sailor Moon. Naru's secret is safe with me," said Luna quickly.

"Well, I was going to say I didn't get much of a breakfast and I'm hungry again. But yeah, that too," said Sailor Moon.

Luna just glared at her. Some things just never changed. _Same old Usagi, with her brains in her stomach half the time. But at least now I know what's been bothering her. All this time, trying to figure out what to do while feeling honor-bound to guard a secret…_ Out loud, she said, "I just wish I could help you with Naru. There's…just so much a talking cat can do."

"I…think I'll figure something out eventually," said Sailor Moon. "She's doing a little better now, thanks to Umino. I just wish… I never thought Naru would get _THAT_ upset over me spending more and more time with the Senshi. That it hurt her this much."

"Well, I don't like how she probably figured out who you really are," said Luna.

"Really? That's all?" Sailor Moon admonished. "Can't you try to see it from Naru's point of view?" Looking away, Sailor Moon huffed. "That's the problem, isn't it? No one tries to see things from a mutant's point of view. Not even… Not even Mama and my little brother."

Suddenly, it hit Luna. "Oh, so that's what set you off this morning."

"Where did things go wrong?" Sailor Moon asked, looking back to Luna teary-eyed. "All this time the Sailor Senshi have been around, all the times we saved the world… I liked to think we made a difference in other ways, that we set an example. That that was what being the guardians of love and justice really meant. Now things just get worse and worse, and it doesn't look like there's anything Sailor Moon can do!"

Luna said nothing. What was there to say? This was the sort of problem that had no immediate answer. In a way, fighting the likes of the Death Busters or the Dead Moon Circus was easier. Fight some monsters, stop the planet from being consumed by darkness, call it a day. There was no short-term solution for what Usagi sought to fix, and long-term solutions remained elusive and uncertain. How to solve issues stemming from fear and distrust, which plagued mankind even before the reign of the Moon Kingdom and long after its fall?

Soon, Sailor Moon stood up and walked to the edge of the roof, looking down below. Luna wondered what the girl was ruminating over now. Naru again? Or how the city in general had grown so hostile toward mutants? Before Luna could ask, Sailor Moon suddenly tensed as she noticed something.

"What is it, Sailor Moon?" asked Luna as she ran up to the edge. Suddenly, it all became clear. They were on a building across the street from a skyscraper that had 'Kizachi Technologies' emblazoned on the side, and a crowd was filing into the front entrance.

"How did we forget about this?" Sailor Moon wondered aloud. "Erina Kizachi herself is giving a seminar today! How come none of the other Senshi thought of sneaking in?"

"Well, er, some of them might have suggested it, but finishing the weapon took priority. Ami and Mamoru couldn't be dragged away," said Luna. "Also, there was concern that Kizachi could sniff us out. I mean, if Naru finally figured out your identity, and the X-Men did it in a matter of days, there's a good chance Kizachi has too, considering how long she must have been watching the Senshi. She probably knows all of your civilian identities by sight."

Luna expected Sailor Moon to be despondent, yet to her shock, she cackled with confidence. "Wow, everyone's forgotten? It really has been a long time since any of us needed to use this!" Looking up, Luna saw that she had fished out the Transformation Pen from within her fuku. "I've been dying to find an excuse to use this little baby again, anyway!" Before Luna could cry out in protest, Sailor Moon raised the pen up and cried, "Moon Power, transform me into a beautiful scientist!" Luna could only watch as light enveloped Sailor Moon, and when it faded, someone much different stood in her place. A much taller woman, with glasses and shorter blond hair pulled back into a single ponytail, wearing black pumps and a white lab coat. "Ha ha ha ha, still works!" Sailor Moon cried with glee, satisfied with her appearance. Looking down, she said to Luna, "OK, the most common epigenetic factor leading to teenagers having mutant genes triggered are hormones pumped out due to stress. Ha ha ha ha, what do you think? Do I sound…sciencey enough?"

She didn't exactly sound like Nobel Prize-winning material, but genuine enough to pass. Barely. "Well, at least it's obvious you put… _EFFORT_ into learning from Xavier's book," said Luna dryly.

Sailor Moon scowled down at her, but then smiled. "Good enough for me. I'm going in, Luna! Get back to the shrine and tell them their princess is doing a little recon. I'll be back in time for busting Eclipse tonight." With that, Sailor Moon turned and ran to the side of the building facing an alley, jumping off. Looking back over the rooftop, Luna soon saw the disguised Sailor Moon emerge from the alley at a run. She dove right into the street in her haste, not even waiting for the walk signal, causing a lot of drivers to screech to a halt while Sailor Moon wailed nervously and flailed about. Eventually, to Luna's relief, she reached Erina Kizachi's building and disappeared inside.

"I hope I made the right choice, letting her go without a word of protest," Luna grumbled. Yes, Sailor Moon had matured some and learned to focus on tasks of great import, but she could still be coaxed into making reckless choices. Luna fervently hoped this wasn't another incredibly reckless move.

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"Minako and her bright ideas," grumbled Chibiusa as she put her eye back up to the scope. Her eyes were going to bleed if this kept up much longer, but then again, what choice was there? She needed practice with a sniper rifle to make sure she landed the kill shot that would render Eclipse helpless. And she needed it before tonight.

So Minako brought her to the arcade, along with enough yen to play this game called Silent Scope for hours on end. And a footstool to stand on. And, of course, using it as an excuse to flirt with Motoki. "Maybe I should've just had Usagi use the Luna-P," Chibiusa muttered as she scored another grisly headshot on a collection of polygons. "This is the sort of 'practice' that Usagi wouldn't complain about."

"What was that about Usagi?" came Motoki's voice suddenly, making Chibiusa jump. "I haven't seen her here nearly as much as Minako and her other friends these days. Is something wrong?"

Chibiusa's mind raced, looking for some excuse to feed Motoki. Then again, it was hard when her future mother was being so tight-lipped these days. "Well, er, you know Usagi. Liable to get worked up over something little."

"Ah, well, that's just part of her charm, I guess," said Motoki. "And…I'm glad you're getting something out of this game. It…hasn't been the biggest moneymaker for the arcade."

"I can't imagine why," Chibiusa grumbled.

"Well, I'll leave you to it. And do tell Usagi to drop by more often." With that, Motoki gave Chibiusa a friendly pat on the shoulder and returned to work. Chibiusa sighed, doing the same, giving a bunch of polygon figures virtual hot lead injections.

 _Maybe people who say these sort of games desensitize us kids to violence have a point,_ Chibiusa pondered as she kept at her 'training session'. If anything, she felt her mind going numb from playing it. Yes, Usagi would've been a better choice to wield Luna-P for their mission tonight, if it meant this sort of 'training'. But just what was her deal these days? Why her obsession with mutants? It wasn't keeping her from fighting Eclipse and the X-Men, but still, Chibiusa hated how her ditzy future mother was keeping secrets and bottling stuff up inside. She never did that before, not like this.

Chibiusa was so preoccupied with her frustration with Usagi, and this stupid arcade game, it took a moment for her to realize she had company. "Well, fancy meeting you here, Chibiusa," came a grating, saccharine voice, from someone leaning right next to her on the arcade cabinet.

With a groan, Chibiusa turned to see PallaPalla leaning there, smiling sweetly. Everyone's least favorite member of the Amazoness Quartet. Not that it wasn't also a detriment with the other three there as well. JunJun stood up on her footstool behind her. Being taller than Chibiusa, she effortlessly rested her hands and head over Chibiusa's head. "Yeah Pinkie, it's been a few weeks. Never call, never write, never check up on us…"

"So, whatcha doin'?" inquired CereCere sweetly, leaning on the other side of the cabinet.

"Trying to think of a reason to not turn the Luna-P into a flamethrower and burninate the lot of you," Chibiusa muttered sharply.

"Aw, we missed you too!" cried VesVes, either oblivious to how vexed Chibiusa was or simply not caring. She even stood on the footstool next to Chibiusa and hugged her!

"Aw, is it true what they say? That video games turn kids into mindless killers?" cried PallaPalla all of a sudden. "PallaPalla doesn't want sweet little Chibiusa to go on a shooting spree!" Then _SHE_ had the nerve to hug her as well. Chibiusa just stood there, motionless as a statue. Now she could somewhat empathize with Usagi, what with keeping mounting frustration bottled up.

"Ha! Says the one who thought it was sound dental practice to stop a toothache by removing someone's head!" quipped JunJun.

"Oh yeah, I forgot all about that!" said CereCere.

"I'd _LIKE_ to forget about that dentist crap she pulled," snarled Chibiusa, still remaining motionless among the quartet of pests piled around her. "Along with that age swap prank of hers!"

"Aw c'mon! It couldn't have been _THAT_ bad!" VesVes protested.

"Yeah! You probably spent that entire evening feeling yourself up!" added JunJun.

Chibiusa didn't exactly have a retort as all four of them burst into laughter. After all, JunJun wasn't _ENTIRELY_ wrong. But as Chibiusa racked her brains for some way to get these pests to leave, they suddenly all fell silent.

Looking to each one of them, Chibiusa saw they all had blank, lifeless looks in their eyes. Then, as one, they walked away from the arcade cabinet in a robotic fashion. The complete antithesis of their usual, boisterous selves. As Chibiusa wondered what could answer her prayers so completely and make them back off like that, the reason suddenly hit her.

"Cable," Chibiusa whispered.

Chibiusa looked behind her, and indeed, that big, white-haired man from the other day was back. Once again with sunglasses to cover those scars on his right eye, and a coat to hide his bionic arm. "I trust you don't mind me coaxing your old…friends into leaving you alone?" Cable asked matter-of-factly.

Chibiusa could only stare up at the fellow time-traveler for a moment. "What do you want?" demanded Chibiusa when she finally found her voice again. "To talk? Wouldn't it be quicker for you to just read my mind instead?"

"Like I said, we X-Men who are telepaths are encouraged to… limit that sort of thing," said Cable coolly.

"Yet you didn't hesitate to make the Amazoness Quartet shut their pieholes and leave," Chibiusa pointed out.

"Oh, they'll be just fine," said Cable dismissively. "They'll be back to pester you to no end another day. But it's not the ethical quandaries regarding the use of mental powers that has the Sailor Senshi up in arms over the X-Men, now is it?"

Her fear fading fast, Chibiusa glared up at Cable. "We can handle Eclipse just fine by ourselves, and we need answers out of her. Besides, that offer from the thief guy… If you can't read her mind, how can we expect you X-Men to deliver on that front for us?"

"We have other methods," said Cable aloofly. "As for what the Sailor Senshi can handle… We've looked into your team's history. Yes, one moderately powerful mutant is not beyond your capabilities. But can you say the same about Sentinels?"

Chibiusa's glare now radiated rage. "How deep in my head are you digging!?" she demanded vehemently. If he intruded too far, he could find out about their plans to ambush Eclipse. In desperation, Chibiusa tried to clear her mind, banish all thoughts of the upcoming operation.

"I wouldn't need to for that one," said Cable. Suddenly, his left eye glowed for a brief instant. Chibiusa couldn't help but wonder if Cable could sense what she was trying to do, to keep him out.

"So that _IS_ another reason you X-Men are here in Japan," said Chibiusa. "Maybe _ **I**_ can make you an offer instead: Let us handle Eclipse, and then we'll give you all the intel we got on these new Sentinels." Granted, Ami only got some scan data from her encounter, and hadn't had time to analyze it all. But Cable didn't have to know that. Hopefully he wouldn't take that little nugget of information for himself.

Cable shook his head. "You don't get it. You think you Senshi can handle these things just because some of the others drove one off the other night? Trust me, when Sentinels are involved, there's _NEVER_ just one! Next time, they'll come at you en masse, and you best be ready when it happens."

That did sound dire, but once they bagged Eclipse, the Sailor Senshi would have a clear shot at the Sentinels. Provided, of course, the X-Men didn't get in the way, so Chibiusa kept trying to clear her mind of any stray thoughts tied to the upcoming ambush. "So, are you here to make an offer now? Why me specifically?"

"Well, it's pretty obvious that the ones called Neptune and Uranus wouldn't exactly be receptive," said Cable.

"Yeah, you did try to turn Uranus's head inside-out," spat Chibiusa. Cable just glowered at her. "So what's the deal? Am I simply the first Senshi you stumbled across today, or maybe you're ready to tell just what's up with you and your time-travelling?"

"You want answers about that? It'll have to wait," said Cable tersely. "In the meantime, I was hoping you'd be somewhat reasonable like your boss." Chibiusa bristled a little. De facto leader Usagi might be, but none of the Senshi really thought of her as the 'boss'. "She seemed reluctant to throw down on Eclipse, even fearing drastic measures might be taken. What say you?"

Chibusa really wasn't sure where she stood. She knew of the X-Men's historical importance, but after being stuck in the middle of a firefight with them, Chibiusa was now a tad wary. She refused to be as paranoid and belligerent as the Outer Senshi, but at the moment, she also found it hard to be as optimistic regarding the X-Men as Usagi was. The X-Men did have more experience fighting evil mutants than the Sailor Senshi ever would, and yet…

"I say each team tackles the enemy they know best," said Chibiusa. The light of hope flickered in Cable's eyes, and Chibiusa hated how she had to snuff it out. "Eclipse is connected to the Dark Kingdom, so it's best we get the next crack at her. You want to help Japan and the Sailor Senshi? Go after those Sentinels. We don't want them stomping around massacring mutants any more than you do."

"So that's it?" asked Cable sourly. "You're just going to blow off a reasonable offer for help, just like those other two hotheads?"

"Ouch," muttered Chibiusa. Few things stung like getting lumped with the Outer Senshi. "But like I said, both teams have experience dealing with certain bad guys. I could still get you Sailor Mercury's data on the Sentinels though, if you'll at least tell me why you travelled through time."

"Not enough to get me to divulge rather… sensitive information," Cable grumbled.

"Then I guess we have nothing more to discuss. I'm done here," Chibiusa shot back, jumping down from the arcade cabinet and not even looking back toward Cable. She was afraid that looking at Cable again could make her concentration falter, unravel her attempt to clear her head and make it hard to read her mind. At least, that was the hope she clung to. There was no telling if it worked. Now she understood why Usagi lost her nerve around Charles Xavier. For all Chibiusa knew, Cable could have everything he needed on tonight's operation. Still, the longer she hung around him, the greater the risk he would if he hadn't already. And with Cable refusing to divulge anything about his traveling through time, the risk wasn't worth it. But she silently swore she'd get answers once Eclipse was taken down.

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 _Now THIS is my kind of recon mission!_ Usagi thought to herself gleefully as she sat in the auditorium for the Kizachi Technologies building. The place had clearly been built with the intention of hosting students or something, since all the seats had fold-out desks for note-taking and such. Not to mention, some place to put the free food they handed out! She gladly stuffed her face with more curry as Erina Kizachi kept talking. Usagi considered it her reward for successfully bluffing her way inside, then bullshitting her way through some tough conversations she got caught up in. Usagi desperately spluttered out some technobabble she picked up from Ami, and was amazed that it worked, the only drawback being a dubious stare or two. _Ha ha ha, bluffing my way through a science seminar. Too bad Rei bet I'd actually finish Professor Xavier's book. Now I can't rub this in her face! Oh well, I'll just rub it in everyone else's!_

The seminar had been going on for more than an hour now. Usagi was surprised it took this long for her attention to really start to waver. She had been determined to absorb as much as she could, to relay to Ami later. But now Usagi found her mind drifting, much to her chagrin. Anything that came out of Erina Kizachi's mouth could be a clue to beating her tonight, then trashing her Sentinels. Still, Usagi had a nasty notion that she'd have to rely on all the handouts she swiped instead. Rei was right about how a lot of the sciency stuff in Xavier's book really wasn't sticking long term. She wasn't having any better luck taking in all this science gobbledygook from Erina Kizachi's seminar.

When Erina first stepped out, Usagi found it hard to believe she really was Eclipse. Eclipse wasn't much taller than Usagi, and all the X-Men who came after her the other night towered over her, but that woman in a lab coat… She looked decidedly puny, and given that Usagi was several rows back and on a greater elevation than Kizachi's podium, it served to highlight her tininess. Still, that long black hair, the dark glasses… _Looks like Haruka's suspicion was on target,_ Usagi had thought with a chill. And then there was just the aura of… coldness and indifference Eclipse radiated along with dark power. With the way Erina Kizachi droned on about robotics and artificial intelligence, exuding a passion about her work that belied a chilling disconnect concealed beneath it all, Usagi was more convinced than ever.

Not only was Usagi's mind threatening to wander, but her gaze was wandering away from the podium as well. Instinctively, Usagi knew that was dumb. Erina Kizachi was the enemy, and couldn't afford to take her eyes off her even while disguised by the Transformation Pen, but Usagi couldn't help it. Boredom was starting to creep in. _The rest of the Sailor Senshi better appreciate this,_ Usagi thought sourly as her bored gaze continued to drift.

As Usagi took another bite, she almost choked on it. Her wandering gaze fell on something she completely missed up until now. A couple rows down, right in front of her, was a woman with long, white hair and dark skin, turning to talk to someone beside her. A shorter girl with brown hair done up in a ponytail, like Makoto. _Uh-oh, isn't that the girl who thumped Makoto in chess?_ Usagi wondered fearfully. Usagi had no idea which X-Man she was, let alone her mutant power. But if there was yet another telepath with them here in Japan…

Thankfully, the two X-Men seemed blissfully unaware that the Sailor Senshi's leader was right behind them. Sighing in relief, Usagi tuned out Kizachi's lecture, straining to listen in on the mutants.

"I'm following along with her discussion of artificial intelligence just fine, Ororo," whispered Kitty. "I still wish Hank could've come along. Kizachi clearly is keeping a lot of things close to her chest."

"Hank would have stood out too much, Kitten, though we don't quite blend in either," replied Ororo. "Though I fear that even though Hank is not here to draw unwanted attention, Kizachi may know full well who we really are."

"You wouldn't know it by looking at her. She's down there preening about how her company's going to put Japan on top of the pack when it comes to robotics and artificial intelligence, not a care in the world," snarled Kitty.

"And yet, no formal announcement about any Sentinels," said Ororo. "She may be imperious, but she's also prudent. A dangerous combination."

"I agree," said Kitty, nodding. "For one thing, listening to her talk about AI, she's obviously learned from Trask's mistakes. I'm starting to wonder if these Sentinels she's supposedly constructing have anything to do with what my… other self warned us about."

 _Other self?_ Usagi silently wondered. Usagi was no stranger to that sort of weirdness, having a past incarnation and a future self who would be queen of the world... _Wait a minute, don't tell me there's_ **ANOTHER** _X-Man mixed up with time travel! Cable wasn't jerking her around. Oh, Chibiusa's gonna love this…_

"Nevertheless, they are a clear and present danger," said Ororo. "There's ample evidence that some sort of Sentinel attack took place the other night, most likely as a trial run. Perhaps the Sailor Senshi defeated it. They held their own against Nathan and the others, after all."

"They might not be so lucky against an entire swarm of Sentinels, Ororo," said Kitty gravely. "The sooner we figure out what Kizachi's up to, the better, for all concerned. Let's just hope the Sailor Senshi don't butt in before we can corner her and get the answers we need."

Kitty looked down at something on her arm. Perhaps another portable Cerebro device? If so, Usagi knew her mere presence would throw it off, making it impossible to confirm that Kizachi was a fellow mutant. _A fellow mutant building Sentinels… It's sick. Sick sick sick,_ Usagi fumed to herself. At least it sounded like the X-Men intended to take care of the Sentinels for the Senshi. Kitty was right about how they didn't need scores of those monsters flooding Tokyo's streets. Still, it was disheartening to hear the X-Men had the same outlook as the rest of the Sailor Senshi: get to Erina Kizachi first, lest the other guys beat them to it. Fate seemed determined to put Usagi's loyalties to the test.

Ororo and Kitty went back to listening to Kizachi speak, so Usagi did the same, still grateful that she was just far away enough to avoid Cerebro zeroing in on her. But she had other problems. Usagi didn't need Makoto's story about Kitty besting her in chess to tell how smart she was. She would come away from this seminar with a lot more than Usagi could. That made it important to listen more closely than before.

Unfortunately, it looked like Kizachi was wrapping up her seminar, as she was now taking questions. "And now, I'd like to take questions from the attendees," said Kizachi brightly, her warm smile belying that creepy look those dark glasses afforded her. Usagi sat in silence as a couple brainiacs in the auditorium posited questions for the roboticist. Bluffing through a couple quick conversations before the seminar started was one thing, but this master scientist herself was another matter. Anyone Ami looked up to wouldn't be suckered so easily. Besides, why risk exposure? The rest of the Senshi had a plan to catch Kizachi in the act tonight. But as Usagi listened to Kizachi's voice over the microphone, she felt her ire rise.

"That's something else about Kizachi Technologies's future ambitions which I'd rather not discuss in too much detail," said Kizachi smoothly, wrapping up her answer to the last question. "Artificial intelligence is a fascinating discipline, and a useful tool, but progress must be gradual and careful. Many a science-fiction writer in decades' past have warned us of the dangers of reaching too far too fast. I've rather not live to see the need for a Butlerian Jihad."

Usagi looked down when she heard Kitty grunt. The young X-Man visibly stiffened. Clearly, she had very personal dealings with Sentinels before, but kept her mouth shut. Though Usagi imagined Kitty was glaring daggers at Kizachi.

 _OK then, Kitty. You won't need to stick your neck out. I'll do it for you,_ Usagi suddenly decided, her courage growing. As soon as Kizachi finished speaking to the last questioner, Usagi stood and fired off a question of her own. "You mean like Sentinels!?" she demanded, earning her a bunch of gasps and astonished stares. Especially from Ororo and Kitty. Usagi spared a brief glance down at them, and suspected she at least blew her cover in regards to those two. But there was no worming out now. "Years ago in America, Bolivar Trask tried using artificial intelligence to solve the 'mutant problem' as some would like to call it, but it blew up in his face. Yet some might actually say it's time for Japan to try that here, and there's already rumors that some have been built right here in this country. Would Kizachi Technologies have any part in that, considering how it's failed so many times before?"

Usagi hoped that would at least rattle Kizachi, being put on the spot like that. To her dismay, Kizachi's composure did not falter. "Any undertaking involving something as radical as a new line of Sentinels could not be launched without the authorization of the Japanese government, I assure you, and with good reason," she said silkily. "As you pointed out, Sentinels are a prime example of AI running amok. Though it's true that Kizachi Technologies is developing programming and equipment that could be utilized in a Sentinel program, nothing could officially get off the ground without going through the proper channels, for the reasons you elucidated. Besides, though some in Japan would certainly think such drastic measures would be needed in regard to citizens born with these special powers, I'm not quite convinced."

As Usagi took in the rumblings from the audience, hearing how pleased some sounded that the development of mutant-hunting robots _COULD_ be happening, how relieved they were by Erina Kizachi's flimsy assurances about their AI, she realized just how badly this all backfired. She even voiced doubt about a Sentinel program being necessary, making her appear reasonable for when the subject inevitably came up again. Kizachi smiled up at Usagi as she finished, and she almost shook with rage. She lied through her teeth about one of her Sentinels already being launched. And the scary thing was Usagi figured she _WAS_ forthcoming about avoiding the pitfalls Trask fell into.

Kizachi took a few more questions, and then the seminar was adjourned. As people slowly filed out, Usagi tried to spot Kizachi, but the elusive roboticist had already slipped away. However, she did catch a glimpse of Ororo and Kitty leaving the auditorium.

Her brow furrowing, Usagi pushed her way past the other attendees and ducked through the door the two X-Men went through. As she shuffled through the halls of Kizachi's buildings, trying to find either one of the mutants, Usagi spotted a brown-haired girl with a ponytail ducking down a corner.

Usagi took off after her, any worries about Erina Kizachi singling her out long forgotten. If these X-Men intended to dig deeper into Kizachi's antics, she wanted to be there.

It looked like Kitty was heading into a research and development wing of this particular floor, from what Usagi could gather. Due to the seminar, there didn't seem to be any employees about at the moment, but that would soon change. That didn't seem to bother Kitty, however. Usagi ducked behind a corner, peeking around it as she strained to listen.

Kitty experimentally touched the walls. Usagi's eyes must have been playing tricks on her… Did Kitty's fingertips actually sink _INTO_ the wall!? Suddenly, Kitty raised one hand to her face, talking into her wrist. Evidently, the X-Men had communicators like the Sailor Senshi's. "Ororo, I think I found where Erina Kizachi could be developing some new tech for her Sentinels, but I can't risk phasing through. From what I can sense of the electric currents… It's jerry-rigged to set off a host of alarms if I try, and zap me good in the process. She knows we're watching her, and how to counter us."

Usagi had no idea what Kitty meant by 'phasing', but she would soon learn. Kitty nodded a couple of times, probably listening to whatever Ororo's reply was. Then, with a look of steely resolve, Kitty suddenly sank right through the floor!

Usagi's brain shorted out for a moment, until she finally remembered that Kitty was another mutant. _So, that's her power. She's the X-Man that goes right through stuff,_ she reasoned. _Mental note: call Rei and tell her to watch out for someone who can walk through walls. They won't even need the Cajun thief guy._ First, she still wanted to find out just where Kitty was trying to break into, supposing Kizachi's tricks hadn't deterred her completely. Usagi headed back the way she came, looking for a stairwell this time.

And when she rounded a corner, she almost collided with Erina Kizachi.

Usagi froze in her tracks, grimacing. Even with her disguise making her nearly a head taller than Kizachi, the roboticist sent a chill down Usagi's spine simply by looking up at her. Usagi had to remind herself that technically, she was still Sailor Moon at the moment, her transformation still active beneath this disguise. Anything Kizachi could throw at her, she could easily tank, though it wouldn't be pleasant. Still, Usagi fought to keep her nerve, and almost lost it completely when Kizachi spoke.

"I trust you enjoyed the seminar. I must admit, I was surprised when you threw that question out there in such a blasé manner… Sailor Moon." Letting out a choked gasp, Usagi nearly tripped on her heels, waving her arms to maintain balance. "If it makes you feel any better, Sailor Moon, it wasn't that bold move that clued me in. With the sensors I've got worked into this place, I knew I had a Sailor Senshi amongst us the moment you stepped in. You left your transformation active underneath that illusion, didn't you? But the way you helped yourself to a free meal told me which of you it had to be." That finally made Usagi get over her shock, eliciting a glare from her. "Come now, Sailor Moon. Don't feel so scandalized. If Mystique couldn't fool me, you had no chance."

Usagi recognized that name from all the stuff her father lent her. "The shapeshifter? You're working with the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants on top of making Sentinels? They're in on it?"

"Perhaps they are, perhaps they're not," said Kizachi airilyas she began to circle Usagi, like a predator watching for an opening. Usagi tried to not let Kizachi rattle her nerves further. True, she could tackle her as Sailor Moon anytime, do a number on her, but out in the open like this, it wasn't worth the risk. Besides, if Kizachi risked confronting her like this, she probably had something up her sleeve. Judging by how Kizachi turned her try at a gotcha question against her, Usagi didn't doubt it. Best not to walk into any traps. Usagi had done that way too many times during her career as Sailor Moon, and there were no fellow Senshi to bail her out if Kizachi sprung something. "All things considered, it's no surprise a couple of the X-Men found their way here today. However, I was surprised to also find a Sailor Senshi found her way into the lion's den so soon. And Sailor Moon herself, no less. I am honored, truly."

"So you do have it out for the Sailor Senshi," spat Usagi. "You sent that Sentinel after my friends."

"Technically, no, not me specifically," said Kizachi dismissively. "But it was just a simple test run, one that was most… informative. As for 'having it out' for the Sailor Senshi… No, not quite. If your friends get in my way, I won't shed a tear if I have to strike them down, but I hardly bear them any ill will."

"Oh please, Sailor Mercury said that thing was built to counter our powers," snarled Usagi.

"And it was a challenge, designing such machines to do so. One I relished," said Kizachi.

"And you've been at it ever since Masato Sanjoin made that investment, haven't you?" retorted Usagi. "Even with Queen Beryl gone, you're still determined to pick up where she left off."

"Ahhh, so the Sailor Senshi have been doing some digging. They're capable of so much more than blasting away some bizarre creature that pops up every other week, as I always suspected. Color me impressed," said Kizachi smoothly. "But as for Queen Beryl… Who cares what she wanted? You and I both know she made as many horrendous errors of judgment as Bolivar Trask did. I've learned from her mistakes as well as his. Plus the mistakes of all those who followed her. A pity you can't see _YOUR_ own faults, Sailor Moon."

"My faults? What do you mean?" Usagi demanded hotly.

Kizachi snorted. "I guess I overestimated you and your fellow Senshi. Do a little more digging, and it'll dawn on you, just one particular crushing failure. As for the rest of your failures, those will be laid bare, for all to see, in the weeks to come."

Usagi had no idea what Kizachi was blabbing about, just that it was gnawing at her for some reason. She had to console herself with the knowledge that the rest of the Senshi were set to bag her tonight, but she couldn't afford to let that slip. Too much was risked by even coming here. As she said, it was right into the lion's den. Perhaps the others had the right idea, steering clear of the seminar. Still, Usagi pressed on. "What are you talking about? Why do you have such a grudge against the Sailor Senshi if you don't even care about Queen Beryl? Why build Sentinels that'll later be used to hunt mutants, just to get at us!? Why turn on your own kind like this!?"

It was then that Kizachi did something that caught Usagi completely by surprise. Despite Usagi looking out for anything fishy, Kizachi lunged forward and held her close, almost as if to hug her. But she placed one hand behind Usagi's head, forcing her to crane her neck down and gaze into her eyes. For the first time, Usagi got a good look at those eyes, always concealed behind some dark lenses. Even with those eyes obscured like that, Usagi couldn't help but shudder as she saw the blazing hatred radiating from her.

"Turning on my own kind, Sailor Moon? Oh, some might say I most certainly am, but I have good reason. Like I said, have your friends do a little more digging, and the answer may come to you. And by then, maybe, just maybe, as everything comes crashing down, as the fires rise in Japan due to the kindling everyone's ignored for far too long, you'll understand just how badly you've failed. How much you don't deserve to lead anything, especially some future Moon Kingdom." Kizachi didn't exactly shout this tirade at her, more like she shrilled hisses through gritted teeth. The roboticist was trying to maintain control, much like Usagi was, but now it was clear keeping such composure took just as much effort on her part. And Usagi realized she might actually be doing a better job than her new nemesis. "And once you've realized this, once your heart is… shattered beyond any hope of repair… Then, maybe then, I'll deign to end your suffering for you." With a furious shove from Kizachi, Usagi was sent teetering back, almost tripping on her heels again. "For now, I must insist that you leave. You won't find anything of use here anyway, Sailor Moon, and by now, Storm's 'Kitten' will realize the same thing."

With that, Kizachi turned and walked away, without so much as another look. As if she was unconcerned about the possibility that Usagi might decide to lob her head off with her tiara and be done with it. Granted, Usagi wasn't up to cold-blooded murder, and Kizachi surely knew that. Before Usagi could make up her mind, Kizachi suddenly opened a door and slunk inside.

Not quite willing to give up on hopes of getting something out of this escapade, Usagi bolted toward that door as soon as it closed. But all that was inside was… a janitor's closet? And there was no sign of Erina Kizachi! It was as if she just disappeared! _Well, she's a mutant. She… might have some powers we haven't seen yet. Maybe she can turn her whole body into that gunk, slither down the drain and… Oh, I'm getting grossed out just thinking about it!_ Usagi's hand went to her mouth as she forced down bile.

Whatever the case, it looked like Kizachi was right. She wouldn't find anything else of use here today, and sticking around wasn't worth the risk, not when she had to help the Sailor Senshi ambush the roboticist tonight. Sighing in defeat, Usagi decided she might as well leave, while she still could. So Usagi backtracked toward the auditorium, thankfully not running into any employees who would ask awkward questions. From there, it was a simple matter to find the front entrance. Hopefully, she could remember enough of the layout if the Sailor Senshi had to storm the place another day.

But Usagi wasn't really thinking that far ahead. She was still dwelling more on Kizachi's rant. Just what was it that made her hate Sailor Moon so much, if she didn't care one whit for Queen Beryl? What was this supposed failure on her part she was so worked up over?

As Usagi stepped out the front entrance for the Kizachi Technologies building, however, her mind wandered to something else yet again. Answers about Erina Kizachi might be forthcoming tonight. But at the moment, she might have a chance to get answers about something else, from another source…

Apparently, Kizachi had been right about how Kitty would avail to nothing by snooping around longer, and the young mutant realized it as well. She was already outside, about to board a bus with Ororo. _Maybe they're going back… to the other X-Men!_ Usagi realized, fresh hope swelling within her. _Finally, another chance to talk to Professor Xavier himself!_ Without another thought, Usagi got on the same bus, and prayed Kitty didn't take that Cerebro unit back out.

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Ugh, such a long delay for this chapter, not helping one bit by the need to make a hasty move. Topping it all off with one of the dumbest things to try to include in a Sailor Moon story… Usagi going to a science conference. How the hell did I box myself into THIS corner?

So long,

Grey-X


	11. Back To School

Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 11: Back to School

8-15-2017

By Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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It wasn't until the bus started moving that Usagi realized she made another big mistake. After throwing out that question in the auditorium, her scientist self made an impression on everyone there, especially the two X-Men. Given how the X-Men had to deal with a shapeshifter like Mystique, there was a good chance Ororo and Kitty could see through others' disguises. Even if they didn't suspect Sailor Moon snuck in there with them, they'd certainly remember the face of someone who put Erina Kizachi on the spot about Sentinels. Luckily, Ororo and Kitty had taken seats up in the front, while in the back, someone had left a newspaper. Usagi made it look like she was reading it, using it to hide her face, all the while peeking out to see where the two mutants would get off.

Unfortunately, being that far away from the two women meant there was no chance to listen in on them again. Usagi couldn't help but wonder what _THEIR_ plans were for Eclipse. Just _WHERE_ did they intend to take her? Back to their superhero headquarters, wherever it was? Was it that school Charles Xavier ran, or someplace else? And how did they plan to put Eclipse down for the count? Dr. McCoy was their blue-haired genius counterpart to Ami. Did he cook up some other sciencey way to bring down Eclipse with minimum effort? Or did they just intend to have Storm whip up a blizzard and throw lightning bolts until she relented? Did they even know of Eclipse's weaknesses, thanks to Cable or their professor?

 _It's not too different from what the Senshi might fall back on, if Ami's weapon is a bust,_ Usagi admitted to herself. She glanced over to the front of the bus again. Usagi could see that big mass of white hair. To think, power greater than several Sailor Senshi's combined, wielded by one person due to a genetic twist of fate. Usagi felt a twinge of shame, remembering how she reacted upon learning who Ororo really was. She kept telling herself she was over it now. This was Storm, a superhero who once helped saved Japan, and the whole world several times over. She should have all of the Senshi's trust. The whole country's trust. _That's another reason I'm here,_ Usagi told herself. _If anyone knows how to keep this paranoia in Japan from getting worse, it's got to be Professor Xavier._

Time stretched on tediously as the bus went through Tokyo, Usagi's patience swiftly becoming exhausted once again. Sitting through that boring seminar about AI had sapped most of it already. But finally, after what seemed an eternity, Ororo and Kitty stood up after the bus pulled in somewhere and lurched to a stop. They exited through the front, so Usagi sauntered out the side door, still holding the newspaper. After taking a few steps, she peeked over the newspaper again, to see that Ororo and Kitty were walking toward some fancy hotel building. _That makes sense. This Xavier guy is supposed to be loaded,_ Usagi figured. Waiting until the two of them were a good distance away, and hoping they weren't wary enough to glance over their shoulders, Usagi folded up the newspaper and took off after them. She maintained a safe distance in case they feared being followed.

As Usagi went through the revolving door, she noticed that Kitty had stopped at the receptionist's desk. "Eeep," Usagi spluttered, quickly pulling the newspaper back out, but keeping her ears open.

"OK, have it brought up to room 20-06 in about half an hour," Kitty finished, right before turning to head for the elevators. At once, Usagi's apprehension turned to self-satisfaction. She already figured out which room the X-Men were staying in! Now she just had to worry about sneaking in to get to their professor…

Suddenly, the answer came to her. "Ha ha ha, maybe I'll be able to rub something in Rei's face after all. Who says Usagi Tsukino can't come up with a good plan?" she muttered to herself smugly as she trudged away from the receptionist's desk. She'd have to locate something first, before putting this plan into action. It took some time, but at last, she found the kitchens. Smiling to herself, Usagi ducked into the nearest ladies' room she could find. Once she was certain no one else was inside, she pulled out her Transformation Pen again. "Moon Power, transform me into a pretty maid!" Light surrounded Usagi again. Once it faded, she still stood at the same height as when disguised as a scientist, but was now decked out in a fancy maid's uniform, long blond hair done up in a single braid.

She smiled down at herself in satisfaction, but then remembered she had a very narrow window of opportunity. Usagi dashed out of the bathroom, heading back to the kitchens. As luck would have it, someone announced something for Room 20-06. As Usagi suspected, it was food Kitty had been talking about. Once again, Usagi was able to bluff her way thanks to her disguise, that she was a new hire. Soon, she was wheeling the cart out of the kitchen, heading for the service elevators. The elevator music… so calm and relaxing, the complete opposite of what was going on in Usagi's head. So much was unraveling, even amongst the Sailor Senshi themselves, and she felt Charles Xavier could be her only hope to set it all right.

Once on the twentieth floor, Usagi looked about for Room 20-06, suddenly not feeling too confident anymore. She would be walking right into where the X-Men were staying. Usagi kept telling herself that they weren't the bad guys, that they didn't want to butt heads with the Sailor Senshi. Still, things between the two teams had already soured to the point it blunted Usagi's usual optimism. But she had come this far, so there was little sense in turning back. So at last, upon finding the right room, Usagi worked up the courage to knock.

"Come, go ahead and wheel it in," came a kindly voice from the other side. The same voice from the park. Luck was with Usagi again… Charles Xavier, her best hope for helping Naru and solving Japan's problem with mutants, was right here! Biting her lip to keep from squealing, Usagi opened the door. Her hopes were doused somewhat upon seeing Xavier was not alone. His wheelchair was situated in the middle of one of the biggest main rooms for a hotel unit she had ever seen. Beside him paced a big guy in a fancy suit sporting blue fur… Dr. Hank McCoy, the Beast, was here too! He was supposed to be as smart as Xavier! Usagi figured two mutant super-geniuses could easily figure out what to do about Naru. But McCoy wasn't the only one with the professor. The balcony door was open, and standing in the middle of that doorway was some guy smoking a cigar. Someone rather short. As plain old Usagi, this guy would only be a few centimeters taller than her! But this gruff, confrontational air about him… Usagi sure wouldn't want to pick a fight with him!

 _Oh no, is this that Logan guy who visited the shrine?_ Usagi wondered. She wasn't sure which X-Man he was supposed to be, but he certainly looked familiar.

Usagi stopped herself before she gaped at them too long. Hopefully, they would chalk up her nervousness as how a normal Japanese woman would react to seeing a mutant. Usagi started taking the trays off the cart, listening closely as the three men talked. "I do wish you would have permitted me to attend the seminar, Professor," said Dr. McCoy. "Oh, I'm sure Kitty will take good notes, but as someone who was there when… what Kizachi is tampering with first surfaced…"

"I know, Hank, but I considered it a prudent move," said Xavier.

"We're being a bit too prudent, Chuck," said Logan. He took a long drag from his cigar before speaking up again. "You shoulda let me go with them the other night. I know the plan was to throw those thugs off the scent, but let's face it… _MY_ ability to pick up someone's scent would be the only thing to let us zero in now. Unless you got some other way you'd like t' share, Sailor Moon."

Usagi yelped in astonishment, nearly dropping the last tray. McCoy looked rather astonished too, while Xavier only looked mildly surprised. "Ah, I thought I detected a familiar thought pattern, but I was mostly trying to ferret out hostile intent with my mental powers," said Xavier warmly. "Naturally, with you, there'd be none." Usagi just stood there, frozen from fear and shock. Usagi figured if the X-Men were going to out her, if would be via telepathy. Yet she would have slipped by Xavier if not for Logan singling her out.

"Yeah, Chuck didn't dig into your head, little lady," said Logan after exhaling more smoke. "He wouldn't need to. You reek of those same chemicals and those same cherry blossom trees from around that shrine of yours, so you're definitely one of the Senshi. Plus I did catch a whiff of your own scent from Ororo the other day, after they bumped into ya in that park. That helped narrow it down." Rei mentioned how Logan sniffed pointedly while at the shrine. Clearly, a great sense of smell was among Logan's mutant powers.

McCoy and Xavier kept gazing at Usagi for a moment. As Usagi anxiously stared back, wondering just what these mutants intended to do, she noticed a bit of admiration crept into their expressions as well. "Well now, after all these years of having to worry about Mystique, you'd think we would be a bit more adept at ferreting out masters of disguise," McCoy said with a grin.

 _Master of disguise… Yeah right. Both Logan and Kizachi picked me out in a heartbeat,_ Usagi thought to herself. _Maybe it is better that I don't use the pen much anymore, if there's so many ways to beat it…_

"So why are you here?" Logan suddenly demanded. "From what we've read about Sailor Moon, you ain't the type to throw down with no reason. But your buddies proved to be a different story… You getting anything', Chuck?"

Xavier placed his fingers against his temple. Was he using his power again? And if so, to read her mind? Usagi suddenly realized that if Xavier wanted to find out about the Senshi's plans to take down Eclipse, she'd have no way to stop him. Thankfully, it looked like Cable was truthful about the X-Men's professor encouraging limits on the use of telepathy. "I sense no extraneous minds present, and certainly no hostile intent. She is quite alone, Logan."

"He's right. I-I-I-I don't want another fight with the X-Men. T-T-T-That got all of us nowhere!" Usagi cried.

"That's good to hear, my dear," said McCoy with a chuckle. "That tiara of yours certainly did a number on Nathan's bionic arm. It took the stalwart soldier and I a good part of yesterday to restore it to full functionality."

"Oh," said Usagi sheepishly. "Well, uh, about that…"

"Hopefully it's water under the bridge, kiddo," said Logan. He stowed away his cigar in a tube and walked over to where Usagi set down the trays. "If the X-Men held grudges against every other superhero out there who threw down on us 'cause of some misunderstanding, we'd have no allies whatsoever." Just like with Erina Kizachi, though she stood much taller in her present disguise, Usagi felt this much shorter man still loomed over her. No, with Logan, this intimidating presence was far more profound.

"Besides, from what Remy and Peter told us, those two particular Senshi they encountered are hopefully simply… the two most hotheaded of your group," added McCoy. Usagi scowled. Unless you also counted Rei, that assessment was dead-on.

"Still, we would like to know why you've come," said Xavier. "I fear our two teams are still at an impasse regarding what to do about the mutant called Eclipse. Also, did you come of your own volition, or are you an emissary for the entire Senshi team?"

 _So he ISN'T reading my mind. Good,_ Usagi thought, breathing a little easier. "Forget about Eclipse for now, Professor," Usagi said quickly. "Both our teams are on the same page about these new Sentinels. We can't have these things let loose. One got sent after my friends, and they barely got it to…"

Usagi fell silent when she heard a loud, metallic shink. Slowly looking back to the table, she noticed Logan was eating some of the big pieces of sushi with… long, metallic claws that had emerged from between his knuckles! He impaled a piece with the tip of one and popped it into his mouth. After swallowing, Logan said, "I'm up for a Sentinel-scrappin' spree with the Sailor Senshi. Do continue," he said innocently. Usagi stared a moment longer, finally realizing which X-Man this was… _THE WOLVERINE_! Possibly the most vicious fighter alive!

"So it's true. There _WAS_ a test launch of this new breed of Sentinel the other night, and your teammates drove it back," said Xavier.

"Impressive," added McCoy. "I would surmise that Sentinels are not something the Sailor Senshi are accustomed to, and when Bobby and I first encountered Trask's, it certainly wasn't dispatched with alacrity."

"And Kizachi is behind them," said Usagi. "I… ran into her at her building. She saw through my disguise too, and got right in my face, pretty much admitting she built the thing sent out to kill my friends. H-H-H-How did you X-Men beat these things before? T-T-T-There's so much I need to learn about how the X-Men do things…"

"And this is why you've come to us," said Xavier. "I don't need to delve into your mind to sense this frustrated feeling of helplessness."

"Y-Y-Y-Yeah, Professor," stammered Usagi. "But it's not just the Sentinels. I-I-It's like I told you at the park, I've got a friend who's a mutant, and I still have no idea what to do for her! But you do. You've g-g-got to. I mean, you literally wrote the book about it, and the X-Men, all of you putting your heads together… All this anti-mutant insanity bubbling up in Japan, you've got to tell me what the Sailor Senshi are supposed to do!"

Logan raised an eyebrow. "This is new. The leader of a rival superhero team practically begging us t' call the shots. Sounds too good t' be true."

"Logan, please… Sailor Moon is quite sincere about seeking our help for a solution, I assure you," Xavier chided.

"Unfortunately, the solution Sailor Moon seeks has largely eluded us X-Men as well," said McCoy. "The regrettable truth, my dear, is that we've also yet to crack the enigma of coaxing the bulk of humanity to go against their worst instincts."

Usagi looked McCoy up and down. She took in his monstrous appearance for the first time, and truly considered how rough life must be for him. "H-H-H-How can you say that so calmly?" squeaked Usagi. "I mean, over the years… Don't take this the wrong way, but that look… You've changed a lot since, well, someone I know was there that day the X-Men first saved the world..."

McCoy chuckled. "Ah, I can see why Ami regards you as her leader, Sailor Moon. Few among even we X-Men exude such genuine empathy for our fellow mutants."

"Yeah, well, it's not like I have no idea what it's like to be born… different, and get superpowers just after hitting my teens," said Usagi. "But I can keep it under wraps. My friend also has, so far, but that might change…"

"Logan, Hank, I believe I should speak with Sailor Moon alone for a moment," said Xavier suddenly. "I may not be able to offer solutions to her every problem, but I believe I can make swifter progress if it's just the two of us."

McCoy simply nodded and headed for the door leading to the hall. Not surprising, considering he was one of Xavier's original students and trusted him implicitly. Logan, however, eyed Usagi dubiously for a moment. Thankfully, he soon sheathed his claws and turned to follow McCoy, offering no argument.

Usagi watched them go, wondering just how Dr. McCoy could be so nonchalant about going out among people looking like that. It was a wonder he didn't cause a stir at the Chess Tower. What would happen with Naru if her mutant powers were exposed? Could she expect to go out in public unmolested?

"I'm afraid Hank was correct about how there is no simple fix for what's transpiring in your country, Sailor Moon. At least, in regards to this rising tide of resentment against mutants," said Xavier, making Usagi's gaze drift back to him. "Whatever solution is to be found, it will be a painstaking process, requiring long-term thinking." Usagi wondered if Xavier could sense her unease about that news. She wasn't exactly the most diligent student in Japan, after all. "Founding the X-Men was part of such a long-term strategy. In response to growing hostility toward mutants, I started my school for gifted youngsters. Taking them in, training them so that they can control their gifts, and using their power to turn back those of our kind who wish to conquer humanity. And by doing so, showing humanity that peace between mutants and normal humans is possible."

"But can it work? I mean, you always hear about how lousy mutants get treated in America, and now it's being exported here," Usagi said morosely. She gripped her Transformation Pen, willing her disguise to melt away, revealing herself to truly be Sailor Moon before Xavier for the first time. "But who am I to talk? You _HAVE_ a plan, where I can't really think past what my next meal is. Some reincarnated princess I am."

"Again, you sell yourself, short, Usagi," said Xavier kindly. "As I told you, you must have confidence in yourself, think back to all the good you've accomplished. And based on the information Hank and the others compiled before jetting off to your home country, that is quite considerable."

"I tried to be, Professor, I really did," protested Sailor Moon. "But I saw her again earlier today, and… Things went nowhere, fast. Helping a mutant cope, stopping Sentinels… These are your areas of expertise, Professor, not mine. I need to know, my friend… Can you help her? Just what is it like at your school?"

Xavier regarded Sailor Moon for a moment, once again carefully weighing his answer. "I suppose, now that you know the truth about me, you wish me to consider your friend for enrollment? Not just for my school, but as a member of the X-Men?"

Sailor Moon finally managed a smile. "Yes! Exactly that! Well, I guess… For a long time, she told me about how she wanted to be a Sailor Senshi herself. It was always awkward, how she didn't know she was talking to their leader the whole time. Now she's all withdrawn and depressed, but if that spark's still in there… Is your school a good fit for her? Is the X-Men?"

It was Xavier's turn to smile. "I have a way of showing you, and then you can decide if you want to bring your friend to me," he said warmly.

Sailor Moon beamed back at him, until it clicked about just what his 'way of showing' her entailed. Could she risk it? The Senshi were so close to closing in on Eclipse, and if the X-Men's leader got a whiff of what they were planning…

 _No, Xavier's already shown he doesn't abuse his power,_ Sailor Moon told herself. Still, she had to have assurances. "You… won't dig too deep, right? I'm honor-bound to keep my friend's secret until she says otherwise."

"I understand, Sailor Moon," said Xavier. Sailor Moon decided this would have to placate her. Here it was, a chance to see just what Xavier could do for Naru. She wouldn't blow it a second time out of fear of someone's mutant powers. She nodded, and Xavier moved his wheelchair closer. He reached up with one hand, and Sailor Moon shut her eyes, forcing herself to relax despite having no idea what his mental powers would really do.

A wave of warmth washed over Sailor Moon, and it felt like she was being… pulled somewhere. When she opened her eyes, she found she was… elsewhere. Standing in the middle of some grass, but she couldn't really feel it, even though it felt like she was… barefoot? Looking down at herself, Sailor Moon saw she no longer had her fuku on, but rather the white dress of Princess Serenity!

"With your astral image, there are no secrets, no disguises," came Xavier's voice suddenly. It was more like she heard him inside her head, rather than through her ears. "You appear as you truly are. I cannot say I'm not tempted to learn more about you now. Reincarnated princess, indeed. Quite curious…" Usagi whirled around to see Xavier's 'astral image' strolling toward her. No more wheelchair! At least, with this mental ability, he could go wherever he wanted. But then Usagi's gaze drifted up to what was behind Xavier. One big, beautiful mansion! An elegant, though rather old one too, judging from the beautiful ivy growing up its walls. _THIS_ was his school, the headquarters for the X-Men!? It certainly put the Hikawa Shrine to shame, and Usagi figured even more alluring secrets awaited within. Sensing Usagi's eagerness, Xavier offered a hand. "Come. The sun is setting back in Tokyo, but is just rising here in Westchester, New York. The start of a new school day…"

Usagi never imagined she would be so excited to arrive at a school so early. She took Xavier's hand, and he led them toward the mansion's front door. And then right through it! They were practically ghosts, just like Kitty!

On the other side, Usagi saw that it was indeed the start of a new day. Sunlight had barely begun to filter through all the windows of the expansive mansion, but youngsters clutching books were already rushing about. But they didn't look anxious at all. A far cry from how panicked Usagi was when running to school to beat the bell. There was an air of security here, of peace. As if these young mutants knew they were where they belonged.

Xavier led her through the halls, unfazed when students unknowingly passed through their astral forms. Usagi decided she would never get quite used to such weirdness. Then they passed through another door, into a classroom where all the students were already seated. One of them caught Usagi's eye. Someone clearly of Asian descent, with short black hair, pink sunglasses resting over her forehead, and a flamboyant yellow coat. She blew a bubble, a disinterested air about her as she gazed toward the front of the class. Her teacher finished scrawling something on the chalkboard. She wore a skirt suit of dazzling white that hugged her frame tightly, and her blond hair was cut in a short, bob style. She turned to her students, a stern, severe look in her eyes, but then her gaze fell on Usagi and Xavier's astral forms. Unlike all the students, it was as if she could see them! She smirked a little, then turned her attention back to her class.

They stayed a short while as this 'Ms. Frost' began her lecture. After breaking her brain trying to absorb everything Erina Kizachi droned about, Usagi was in no mood for more. Just as well that she couldn't really understand English, anyway. Still, Usagi could tell that these students didn't exactly mind being in her class. That they felt they could accomplish something good at this school. Usagi looked to that girl in the yellow coat again. Was she also a recruit that Xavier brought to America from another country? If he brought Naru here, could she fit in just as well? Would Naru feel this was where she belonged?

They wandered the halls some more. Usagi was still amazed by just how inviting the whole school felt to her. To her, Usagi Tsukino, whose name was synonymous with getting saddled with detention. That helped ease any doubts about Xavier's school being a good fit for Naru. "Wow, and I thought it was a big deal just making it into Juban High School!" cried Usagi as she kept taking in the mansion's splendor. "I'm actually kind of jealous of… my friend right now, seeing where she might end up."

"I'm glad you think my school would be a good place for your friend," said Xavier warmly. "However, did you not say that you believed she would also be a good fit for the X-Men?"

"Err, well, let's just say she'd be tough enough to fight alongside your X-Men," said Usagi. "We're talking 'stop a fire truck going full speed then use it as a weapon' tough."

"Indeed, that does sound rather formidable," said Xavier. "If that's the case, there is more I must show you, Ms. Tsukino. The school, as impressive as it may seem, it still merely our public face. The lower levels, however, are an entirely different matter." With that, Xavier placed a hand on her shoulder. Suddenly, the two of them were once again elsewhere. Usagi looked around, seeing that she was in a big, expansive room with metal walls. "Our hangar for the Blackbird," said Xavier, in answer to Usagi's unspoken query. Usagi looked up, seeing the huge bay doors worked into the ceiling. "Naturally, the Blackbird is currently in Japan, with us."

"A jet. You got your own jet," Usagi said flatly. "We get talking cats and a Shinto shrine, the X-Men get a mansion and their own freaking jet."

"That's hardly the most significant thing housed down here, Ms. Tsukino. If you'll come this way…" Usagi followed Xavier through the door to the hangar, a metal, sliding gateway with a huge 'X' worked into it. She stepped out into a narrow hallway with the same strange silvery-grey plating. All along the hallway, there were more circular doorways with that 'X' design embedded on them. "Ah, what luck. It sounds like there's a session going on. This is a perfect opportunity to show you how your friend will be trained in the use of her powers."

Nodding, Usagi followed Xavier through another door. What was on the other side seemed to be a row of computer terminals, and windows fixed right over them, letting those working the controls peer down into… wherever. But no one was there. Usagi couldn't read anything on the screens, as it was all in English, but it sure looked like those computers were working furiously at something. Something Xavier didn't sound too pleased about. "Running such a dangerous simulation with no one at manual controls. But then again, given those two…"

Usagi walked over and peered down through the windows, gasping. Whatever was down in there, that couldn't be right. Usagi hadn't exactly aced world history or anything, but it looked like part of the Great Wall of China down there! As if it were outdoors down there! It was even raining!

And there were people down there! A bug guy, his back to the Great Wall, sauntered forward with an outstretched hand toward someone even bigger! Whoever the first guy was, his skin was deathly white, had short black hair in a flat top, and… was that a small red diamond on his forehead? His outfit looked even stranger, from what Usagi could see through the driving rain. Some sort of segmented purple bodysuit, a cape made up of flowing ribbons… But as Usagi tried to take in his bizarre appearance, he cut loose with some sort of concussive blast from his hand. That other guy, some big hulking man with most of his uniform burned away, looked like he was about to go down for good!

Or he would have, had not another X-Man stepped in. Another big guy, bald with dark skin, his uniform also almost burned away, threw himself in between that energy blast and his teammate. Usagi shrieked, fearing the worst, but Xavier put a hand on her shoulder. "Worry not, Sailor Moon. Even if this were for real, and not a training simulation, Bishop would be fine. Observe."

Usagi looked down through the window again. That energy the pasty guy just blasted Bishop with… Could it be? Was the dark-skinned X-Man just sucking it up? As if to answer her question, Bishop fired back with an energy blast of his own, as if redirecting whatever the bad guy just threw at him! "Wow, glad Uranus and Neptune didn't pick a fight with him too. He'd just suck up their attacks and channel them right back," said Usagi. But Bishop wasn't out of hot water yet. That other guy tanked the redirected energy! His upper body got reduced to one ugly, silvery blob, but was quickly reforming! Bishop's teammate, however, now had an opening. Usagi got a better look at him. He had black hair that reached the base of his neck, a bandana with some feathers worked into it, and he just produced two huge knives! With a howl, he charged at their enemy just as his body reformed, running him through. He kept going, smashing him right through the Great Wall! _ANOTHER super-strong mutant!?_ Usagi thought incredulously. _Maybe Naru's power isn't as special as I thought, but at least she wouldn't feel so alone here…_

"The Danger Room," said Xavier suddenly. "Thanks to some technology we borrowed from the Sh'iar Empire, we can create a virtual environment that simulates anything we desire. And simulations of any enemy we must train to face. This is how the X-Men relentlessly train for missions."

Usagi kept watching the battle that still raged below. "So… the pasty-white liquid guy is an old playmate of yours?"

Xavier nodded, a somber look in his eyes. "Yes, that's Nathaniel Essex, otherwise known as Mr. Sinister. Though he wasn't originally a mutant, he's amassed so many abilities through genetic manipulation that, as you saw, he is a force to be reckoned with. His intellect and his capacity for manipulating friend and foe alike, however, is what makes him truly terrifying."

"Yeah, I can imagine," said Usagi, thinking back to how Erina Kizachi was outfoxing the Sailor Senshi so far. "So, these Shi'ar guys… Something tells me their aliens, right? Don't tell Uranus and Neptune about them. Taking out threats from outside the solar systems is kinda their job. Wait, never mind. They'd love to have a training ground like this. Come to think of it, so would Luna. She'd throw me in there for hours on end until I shaped up in her eyes."

Xavier chuckled a little, then said, "There's one last thing I'd like to show you before we return to Tokyo." Usagi watched the Danger Room session a moment longer, praying she'd never have to fight that Sinister guy, then followed Xavier again. He led her to the very end of the hall, and when they stepped through, Usagi gasped. A huge, round room, with some weird computer thingy with a helmet attached right in the middle.

"This is… This is what Rei saw!" Usagi cried out. "This is where she first saw you! She was drawn here somehow!"

"As I suspected, it was one of the Sailor Senshi who somehow wound up here in astral form," said Xavier, sounding relieved that a mystery was solved. "I realize that, in my shock, my psionic power may have been overwhelming for her. Please, convey my deepest apologies for hurting her like that."

"Well, OK, sure thing Professor," said Usagi. Looking around the room again, she asked, "So, just what is this room anyway?"

"This is the main room for Cerebro. This is what I use to amplify my powers and locate mutants," said Xavier.

"You can find mutants using this thing? How?"

"The brain waves of mutants differ from that of ordinary humans," said Xavier. "With Cerebro, I can use my telepathy to locate mutants that way."

Suddenly, Usagi felt uneasy. "But it led you to the Sailor Senshi instead. Why'd it do that?"

Xavier's brow furrowed. "I'm not quite sure. The nature of the Senshi's powers is still a mystery to me. Perhaps you could educate us one day." Usagi's unease grew. She felt like she owed Xavier now, after how he divulged so many of his best-kept secrets. Yet she knew the other Senshi would be aghast if she revealed too much about them, too soon. "I would like to think the X-Men could at least count on the rest of the Senshi to lay aside current tensions, should there be more Sentinel attacks."

"It looks like there'll definitely be more," said Usagi glumly. "Erina Kizachi… I don't know why, but she absolutely hates me, and she built those new Sentinels just to fight the Sailor Senshi."

"Then we have a common enemy," said Xavier. "Also, I fear that the Sentinels may not be the only old foe of the X-Men that the Senshi may face soon."

Usagi stared back at Xavier, wondering who he could be talking about. A chill crept up her when she remembered something else freaking out people in Japan when it came to mutants. "Oh no, you don't mean… Magneto!?"

Xavier hung his head with a sigh. "Indeed. I have good reason to believe my old friend is mixed up in the Senshi's current plight as well."

"But, why would Magneto want Sentinels to…" Usagi broke off when something Xavier said just registered. "Hold on… 'old friend'? You and Magneto _KNEW_ each other, before he went bad!?"

"It was a long time ago," said Xavier. "I met Erik Magnus Lehnsherr in Israel, while doing volunteer work at a hospital. We bonded over several weeks, but even then, I could sense a bitterness within him. When we discussed our theories regarding mutation, he kept insisting that if mutants existed, they would be hunted down out of fear."

Usagi thought back to her father's story about Magneto taking over Cape Citadel, and how his later schemes got more and more brazen. "What could… Why does he hate normal people so much!?"

"Erik's a Holocaust survivor," said Xavier darkly. "He saw his family, almost everyone he knew, ruthlessly exterminated as a child, just for being born different from those in power. That sort of pain, that sort of rage… When it happens at such a young age, I guess there's no quelling it. I tried my best, to guide him, to be a friend to him, to ease his hurt and his anger. But it all fell apart when Nazi remnants attacked the hospital, looking for a patient who had vital information locked away in her psyche. That was when we first revealed our mutant powers to each other, fighting them off and freeing their captive. But it sparked such a change in Erik… He fled after that, vowing that one day he would return to lead mutants to their rightful place as masters of the Earth. While I stayed behind, deciding that human history had seen enough blood spilled, and sought a better way."

"And you kept an eye out for him," said Usagi, understanding. "That's why you started the X-Men. So when Magneto made his move at Cape Citadel, you were ready."

Xavier nodded. "I always hoped he would see reason during that time, not give in to his bitterness and rage. But to my regret, it was obvious that my prudence was warranted on that day he seized the missile base. For a brief time since then, it looked like he learned the error of his ways, even leading the X-Men at one point. But it seems fate is unkind. No matter what, it's only a matter of time before I find myself fighting my old friend yet again…"

Usagi wasn't sure if she could cry in her astral form, but she felt about ready to shed tears. She couldn't imagine what Xavier had to go through all these years, having to fight a once-cherished friend over and over and over. At least with Mamoru and Chibiusa, they were brainwashed, and that was eventually undone. Erik Magnus Lehnsherr became the mutant terrorist known as Magneto of his own free will. He knowingly embraced evil, not caring how it stabbed Charles Xavier through the heart.

And it made Usagi think back to Naru. The bitterness was welling up in her as well. Japan was turning against mutants just as her powers were budding, and it ate at her soul. Worse, she felt that Usagi, that Sailor Moon, had abandoned her. If this went on, who knew what the end result could be? What choice Naru would make?

History could not repeat itself. It wouldn't.

Usagi wouldn't let it.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Yes, I know the sun's setting, and everyone else is getting into position," Usagi hissed brusquely into her watch as she stomped toward the elevators. She had undone her transformation before leaving Xavier's room. As far as most anyone else in the hotel knew, she was just an ordinary girl. Who was whispering into her wristwatch for some reason. "But there's something I've got to do first, Rei. And don't talk back, not this time. It can't wait, it's something that's waited long enough. I'll be there to bring in Eclipse, but there's something I got to take care of months ago."

Usagi shut off her communicator without another word, just as the elevator doors opened, her mind made up. Unbeknownst to the regular patrons of the hotel and its staff, Usagi was actually Sailor Moon, heading off to take care of some personal business. But five others watched her go, knowing full well who she was and what she set out to do.

Ororo peered through the crack in the doors to one of the hotel's assembly rooms on that floor, situated near the elevators. That slip of a girl, so innocent and carefree at first glance. But now that Ororo knew that Usagi Tsukino was indeed who the X-Men suspected since their chance meeting, she caught the telltale signs. Of someone shouldering a heavy burden, plagued with doubt. Still, from their brief conversation, Ororo could tell the girl meant well, that her heart was in the right place. And Nathan was able to confirm her intuition, though not with a means she particularly approved of.

"The kid's headed for her mutant buddy, ain't she, Nathan?" asked Logan roughly. "Go straight to mutant bestie, do not pass go, do not collect nearly twenty-two thousand yen."

The grizzled soldier nodded. "The pink-haired little girl… She found a way to keep me from getting necessary information unless I delved deeper than Xavier would've liked. And by the time I realized a golden opportunity would slip away, she rabbited. Thankfully, no worries about this opportunity slipping by. This girl's got mutants on the brain, and it's easy to reach in and get the intel we need. Not just about her friend, but that oily drain clog her fellow Senshi are after too."

"And do they have a strategy for the latter?" asked Kitty. "Hank sure seems to think the chemicals Logan smelled mean they're planning some sort of chemical attack. Is that their game plan?"

Nathan nodded again. "And they intend to use it tonight, staking out one of the shipyards in case she shows. Looks like the information you coaxed out of those thugs was dead-on, Logan."

"Which means we must make some hasty preparations for tonight," Hank pointed out. "We must alert the rest of the X-Men pounding the pavement in Tokyo. There's a high probability, judging by what we overheard from Ms. Tsukino, that the entire Senshi team will be assembled for this venture. It just may take every one of our number present in Japan to… dissuade them from turning Eclipse over to the local authorities, should their stratagem with this chemical succeed."

"Without the professor knowing of our intentions, unfortunately," Ororo chimed in, her voice laced with annoyance. "Professor Xavier would certainly frown upon any plan that would put us on another collision course with the Sailor Senshi. And he most certainly would not have approved of using telepathy so deeply on someone who is not our enemy."

"Not our enemy…" Nathan repeated airily, looking down at his left arm, flexing his hand. His replacement coat once again hid his bionic arm, which had needed repairs after Sailor Moon's attack. "Under normal circumstances, no. Sailor Moon most certainly wouldn't be the X-Men's enemy. The kid's heart bleeds crimson red for us mutants, Ororo, especially the ones here in her country. I like this kid, Ororo, really I do. But she's also fiercely loyal to her team. If it's a choice between us and the Senshi, she'll stand by the Senshi. That's why I just made sure to remove Sailor Moon from the equation."

Usagi went down the elevator moments ago, but Ororo just then turned away from the crack in the door. Eyeing Nathan with a withering glare, she snarled, "So in addition to digging far too deep with your telepathy, you used your power to influence Usagi's thoughts?"

"Nothing that wasn't already there," said Nathan innocently, not a twinge of regret in his voice. "Just a gentle little prodding, making sure seeing to her mutant friend shoots right to the top of her priority list, and stays there. With any luck, that'll keep her away until this Eclipse mess is over."

"A logical approach I'd expect from a seasoned tactician, Nathan, but nevertheless I share Ororo's reservations," said Hank. Ororo was glad _SOMEONE_ remembered one of the things the X-Men stood for was not abusing their gifts, thus driving away would-be allies.

"Yeah Cable. Even if Eclipse is bagged and tagged tonight, our time in Japan will be far from over," said Kitty. "It'd be best if we didn't keep butting heads with those Senshi."

"While I agree that a good long-term strategy would be to eventually court the Senshi, in the short-term, I want Usagi Tsukino as far from the battlefield tonight as possible," said Nathan. "Looking into her mind again, I caught glimpses of what that Ginzuishou of hers can really do. My report that it's a faux Infinity Gem was _GREATLY_ exaggerated. Risking having that thing pointed at us next time, instead of Eclipse, is not an option."

Ororo still wasn't quite placated with Nathan's reasoning, but bit her lip when she felt Logan's hand slide into hers. He had sensed her lingering unease, and said, "Take it for someone who's also been through a few wars, darlin'. Sometimes you gotta… bend your moral code a bit, risk doin' things that may leave a bit of a bad taste in your mouth, just to make sure your team pulls through in a fight. These kids… They're good kids, Storm, but we gotta make sure we can muscle past 'em if need be."

Ororo looked down into Logan's eyes. Those hardened eyes of a seasoned, and at times savage, fighter. They were such polar opposites, and yet over the years, they had come to trust each other implicitly. Not only that, this willful little powder keg, prone to violent rage, would most often never hesitate to follow her orders. To accept her judgment, despite lacking his many decades of experience. Perhaps in this instance, she could trust in his, despite her lingering reservations.

And linger they did. While Logan would naturally favor the tactics of someone like Nathan, Ororo, ironically, had more in common with the Sailor Senshi, especially their leader. She too sought the path of peace and understanding, though all too often her role as field leader for the X-Men meant she had to use her gifts forcefully. And tonight, the winds she rode might be called upon to force the Sailor Senshi back. Ororo wondered if Usagi Tsukino faced such quandaries during her brief time as leader of a superhero team. Would Sailor Moon hesitate to unleash this 'Ginzuishou' upon them, if she felt she had no other options?

Ororo looked to the others. Logan, her dearest friend for so long… Kitty, the girl she took under her wing… Hank, their resident super-genius, always whipping up a solution to their every problem… No, if push came to shove, she wouldn't hesitate to call upon the wind and lightning to protect them. Sailor Moon would undoubtedly feel the same way about her team. "Very well, Nathan. You've made a valid point," she said at length, though she couldn't quite keep an acerbic bite out of her voice. "Did you find anything else pertinent while peering into Usagi's mind?"

"Besides how this kid couldn't conjugate verbs to save her life?" Nathan replied with a smirk. "Well, another reason I want her far away from the shipyard is how the Sailor Senshi also deduced Eclipse could really be Erina Kizachi. Not only did she really freak Tsukino out earlier today, but she and the other Senshi evidently feel they'd be doing us all a favor, taking Eclipse out for us. Keep those Sentinels from hunting mutant and Senshi alike."

"Then there's another reason I'm acquiescing to your use of telepathy in such a manner, Nathan," said Ororo. "Sailor Moon would do just about anything to stop these Sentinels. I heard it in her voice, back at Kizachi's facility. But they don't quite realize this situation with the Sentinels may be more complicated than they suspect. Taking out Kizachi would not grind these Sentinels to a halt." So many similarities between their two teams, so many reasons there should be a lasting alliance, especially with a common threat. Yet again and again, fate put them all on a collision course.

It tore at Ororo's soul, but she knew Nathan was right. Time was running out, and preparations had to be made. "Send a message to Remy and the others, Nathan. We're suiting up, and we're waiting at the shipyard where the Sailor Senshi will stage their ambush. We'll use the stratagem they attempted on you, Nathan. Wait for them to wear down Eclipse for us with their chemical weapon, then we swoop in and secure her. With any luck, the conflict won't escalate too far this time." Though Ororo suspected fate would be decidedly unkind tonight.

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Usagi didn't have the patience to wait for another bus, and even if one had been there when she exited the hotel, it would take too long to get her back to Naru's home. Naru had been neglected long enough, but Usagi also had to help her fellow Senshi take down Eclipse tonight. It would be difficult to do what she needed to do with Naru and still make it to the shipyard, but it would be done. She'd have to make time. Sailor Moon would _MAKE_ time.

So as soon as Usagi found a spot where the buildings weren't too high, she transformed back into Sailor Moon, then dashed and jumped across rooftops like a woman possessed. She couldn't quite explain it, but her determination to set things right with Naru only got more profound after leaving Professor Xavier. As she made her way back to the jewelry store, she kept glancing to the west. The sun steadily continued its descent, as if to mock her, to rub in how futile it was to try to do both things in one night. All it did was spur Sailor Moon on like never before.

Just as the sun disappeared completely behind the buildings, Sailor Moon finally reached the roof of the OSA-P. For a moment, Sailor Moon leaned against a cooling tower, panting, then slapped herself to get her brain back in gear. Every second counted. She wouldn't let her friends down, but she had to set things right, before it was too late. The sad tale of how the X-Men's worst enemy had also been their founder's best friend played out again in Sailor Moon's head, as did her last nightmare, the terror rushing back anew. No, she wouldn't let Naru sink that far. She had to reach Naru, before she went too far along the road Magneto went down.

So she dropped down into the alley between the OSA-P and the building adjacent to it, willing her transformation to be undone. _This must be confusing the hell out of Mamoru,_ Usagi belatedly realized. _All this transforming and then undoing it and retransforming… I wonder if there's any side-effects from doing it so much? Luna wouldn't probably chew me out about it. Then again, what I'm about to do…_

Usagi rushed out of the alley, bolting toward the jewelry store's front door. Luck was at least with her, as Mayumi Osaka was just leaving and locking up. "Ms. Osaka! Ms. Osaka! Is… Naru still home?" Usagi cried out as she ran up to Naru's mother. "T-T-There's something I got to talk to her about. I-I-It's really important, and it can't wait."

Mayumi turned to Usagi, looking worn out with worry, but somewhat woken up by surprise. She stared blankly at her for a moment, the fatigue quickly setting back in. "Why, Usagi, it's been some time since I've seen you around here," she said at length.

"I know. That's why I'm here," said Usagi. "There's… something bothering Naru. I can't tell you what, but… I need to help Naru with it. I won't put it off any longer." As Usagi stared up into Mayumi's eyes, she swore she saw a dawning light in them, as if she knew exactly what Usagi was getting at. _She already knows,_ Usagi realized. That was a relief. There was someone else who shared Naru's dark secret. But what needed to be done, only Usagi could do.

"Yes, Usagi, Naru's home. I can have her lock up after you leave," Mayumi said, a mild air of relief in her words. That was a good sign. She was willing to still trust Usagi, despite her knowing her daughter's shameful secret. "She could… certainly use another good friend right now, but she hasn't been in the most welcoming of moods. Good luck."

"I'll need it," Usagi muttered under her breath as Mayumi's unlocked everything. If Naru was in a particularly foul mood, she could splatter Usagi all over the showroom floor. After seeing what Naru did to that pickup truck earlier, Usagi doubted she could even tank the full force of Naru's blows as Sailor Moon.

As Usagi stepped inside, seeing the store in the gloomy darkness, memories suddenly came rushing back. About that first night she desperately ran here. During the mad dash here, Usagi kept thinking about Cape Citadel, when Magneto struck and practically tore out Xavier's heart, necessitating sending out the X-Men to stop him. But now, she had returned to where it all began for her. This was where Sailor Moon first appeared to do her duty. The OSA-P was _HER_ Cape Citadel. It wasn't as high-profile as averting a nuclear war, but her first act as Sailor Moon had saved a good friend. And now, she was back to do it again.

Taking a deep breath, Usagi walked past the display cases and headed up the stairs, feeling her nerves become more and more frayed with each step. She kept telling herself that she had no time to be scared. Naru needed her. The Sailor Senshi also needed her. With any luck, Sailor Moon would have two victories for mutantkind tonight.

Usagi made her way down the hall on the upper level, where she knew Naru's room was at the end. It really had been too long since she came to Naru's home. She hadn't even faced Naru yet, and already she felt decidedly unwelcome, but she pressed on. She had to. The door was slightly ajar, and light poured through. Hopefully, Naru was still awake, despite being tired out from that workout. Benching trucks would do that to anyone. And so, taking another deep breath, Usagi knocked on the door.

"Mama? Did you forget something?" came Naru's concerned voice.

Usagi hesitated a moment, then said, "No, she's gone, but she let me in, Naru." Stone cold silence lingered for a moment. Then, in a flash, the door was swung open fully, to reveal Naru's surprised and somewhat annoyed face. It felt like her tongue was glued to the roof of her mouth, but Usagi forced words out. "T-T-T-There's something I had to talk to you about tonight, Naru. Something really important. Can I… C-C-C-Can I come in?"

Naru just stared at Usagi a moment longer, then stepped aside to let Usagi in. Usagi forced a nervous smile, then carefully walked inside. Almost at once, she noticed a pair of dumbbells over in the corner. Not that they would do Naru any good, but in anyone else's eyes, it would help explain why Naru put on so much muscle as of late. Usagi looked back over to her when she heard the door click shut. Naru had long since changed out of those baggy workout clothes. Now she wore a form-hugging, long-sleeved black shirt, denim shorts and black leggings. Something she probably wouldn't wear in public, because it _REALLY_ showed off how Naru had changed!

Forget just bulking up, Naru was seriously pumped now! At least, it was obvious if you looked closely when she wore certain clothing, such as what Naru had on now. Her legs still looked as shapely and graceful as ever, but newly-developed lean muscle was now noticeable. Now she _LOOKED_ like she could kick open a bank vault, too! As she looked at Naru's upper body, Usagi noticed that her shoulders looked just a little bit broader, her arms looked a little bit bigger… And wow, that shirt certainly couldn't hide abs that looked like they could tank a rocket-propelled grenade! Umino's sessions with Naru were doing wonders, in more ways than one! And something told Usagi that Umino liked the change in her as much as Naru liked the change in him.

"Like I said, Umino and I have been working out together," said Naru suddenly, correctly guessing what had just preoccupied Usagi. "So, what was it you wanted to talk about? I figured you'd be with your other friends tonight."

Naru was really trying to keep the bite out of her voice, but some of the hurt still bled through. "Actually, I will be, later. But I wanted to make time to come here tonight."

"Oh, I see," said Naru, that resentment bubbling back up. She turned toward her closet. "Well, in that case, you'd better get on with it. What's so important?"

On the way here, Usagi tried to think of a way to approach Naru about her secret, but none of her ideas seemed particularly good. So Usagi decided to throw caution to the wind and come out with it. "I think you already know. I know you're a mutant, Naru."

The room became deathly silent and still once more. Slowly, Naru looked over her shoulder. "What?" she demanded flatly.

"Yes, Naru, you're a mutant. A ridiculously strong, ridiculously hard-to-kill mutant," said Usagi. No backing out now, might as well forge ahead. "I've known for a while, but… I just didn't know what to do for you!" She rushed over to Naru, grabbed her shoulders and turned her around. The rest of the tears held back all day finally began to flow. "I'm so sorry, Naru! For not coming to you sooner, for making you feel like I pushed you aside! For everything! I'm so, so, so sorry! But it's over now! I'm here to help you! I don't know how, but I'm going to help get you through this, I promise you!"

As tears rolled down Usagi's cheeks, Naru could only stare back blankly. There was no surliness in her gaze now, no resentment, just confusion.

"Naru, please… SAY SOMETHING!" Usagi pleaded. She hugged Naru close to her, not surprised to find it felt like she was hugging an Olympic weightlifter. "If you want to unload on me, chew me out, go ahead! But please, just know I'm still your friend! You can trust me with your secret! I haven't told anyone!"

At last, Naru found her voice. "B-B-But how'd you even know in the first place!?"

Usagi expected that question, and at least prepared for that. The other Senshi would be aghast, but there was no going back now. "I think you already know, Naru," she said as she let Naru go. Usagi took a few steps back. "I can't pretend I'll ever fully understand what mutants go through, but… I have some idea. As you're about to see. Time to do what I should've done a long time ago." With that, she took out her brooch and held it high. "MOON CRISIS MAKEUP!"

All this time, Usagi wondered what would happen if she transformed right in front of Naru.

She was about to find out.

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Haven't we all wondered? So many, many other fanfics have been written to answer this one question that's nagged all Sailor Moon fans. So now that it's my turn, I made sure to spend a good long while building up to the moment it finally happens. And then… cliffhanger. Yeah, I do that. A lot.

So long,

Grey-X


	12. Collision Course

Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 12: Collision Course

8-26-2017

By Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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After having to wait almost half a day for the Inner Senshi to report back from D-Point, Sailor Chibi-Moon thought nothing could try her patience like that again. However, only an hour had passed after the stakeout of the shipyard began, and Chibi-Moon already felt like she was losing her mind. She was only dimly aware that the sun had disappeared in the west, beyond the buildings, as she kept looking through the scope of her rifle. It was handy for looking about the shipyard, scanning for anything fishy, especially from her vantage point. Chibi-Moon lay flat on her belly on a crate suspended by a crane. From here, she could see pretty much the whole shipyard. Ami, Rei and Michiru all had ways that could warn them that Eclipse had arrived, so they all took position down on the ground somewhere. Up here, Chibi-Moon could not only see just about everything, but would have the perfect shot once the other Senshi made their move. Assuming Eclipse even showed up, and she was sure taking her sweet time. Her and Usagi both.

Thankfully, Chibi-Moon wasn't alone on that crate. Tuxedo Kamen and Luna were up there with her. They both looked uneasy as well, but for entirely different reasons. Well, not exactly. The thing that had Tuxedo Kamen distracted also served to vex Chibi-Moon further. Trying not to dwell on it, Chibi-Moon focused on what showed up through her scope, wishing something would happen already. She once heard that some people got addicted to the power being a sniper afforded. Peering at one's target through a scope, deciding precisely when someone died. Chibi-Moon couldn't help but wonder what was wrong with such people. All she wanted was for Eclipse to show, so she could douse her in Ami's concoction, rein her in, and be done with it.

 _But that wouldn't be the end, would it?_ Chibi-Moon realized. _There'll still be Sentinels, and Magneto must be up to something… Oh yeah, and let's not forget how those hotheads Haruka and Michiru picked a fight with_ THE FREAKIN' X-MEN _! Why not go to Latveria and take a dump on Victor von Doom's throne for good measure? If those mutants show, things'll get even messier._ Of course, part of her wanted the X-Men to show themselves again. Cable owed her some answers.

But as Tuxedo Kamen kept fidgeting with his cane on the other end of the crate, Chibi-Moon remembered she wasn't the only Senshi with a personal agenda regarding mutants. "Still no sign of that meathead, is there?" Chibi-Moon grumbled.

"No, and it's getting harder and harder to not rush out and find her," said Tuxedo Kamen, a distressed edge to his voice. "I don't like it. She's been transforming, then cancelling it, only to transform again later… What's going on? What's keeping her from helping us stage this ambush!?"

"According to Rei, it's something she refuses to put off any longer." Chibi-Moon snorted. "Whatever it is, Usagi better have a good explanation for us when this is over, if we have to tackle Eclipse without her."

"Believe me, I think she will," said Luna suddenly. Both Tuxedo Kamen and Chibi-Moon's eyes fell on her, and the cat realized she was just thinking aloud. Her eyes bugged out as she tried to flash an innocent smile.

"Luna, you… know where Usagi is, and what she's doing?" demanded Tuxedo Kamen.

"Well, er, not exactly," she said quickly, but she was withering under their glares. "But let's just say I could make an educated guess."

"So what is it? What's made her put, oh I dunno, doing her duty as a Sailor Senshi on the backburner!?" Chibi-Moon snarled.

"Besides maybe finding out all but one Senshi made bets against her?" Luna shot back. Chibi-Moon glowered back at her, but the cat had swiftly regained her nerve, fixing her with a steely gaze of her own.

"Luna, come on. Usagi's still… Usagi, but I'd like to think that she's matured enough to not let something like that get in the way," said Tuxedo Kamen.

"You're righter than you know," said Luna. "Just trust me when I say it's nothing frivolous that has her preoccupied now."

"Preoccupied… It's her obsession with mutants, isn't it?" demanded Chibi-Moon. "She's ducking out of the ambush because she can't bring herself to fight mutants anymore?"

"No. There's just one particular mutant that she's dwelling on more than Eclipse," said Luna. "And with good reason."

"So I was right. There is someone Usagi knows who's a mutant, and she plans on dealing with that first," said Tuxedo Kamen.

" _WHO_ , Luna!?" demanded Chibi-Moon. "Did you find out who it is!? Who is it!?"

"Keep it down. No one's supposed to know we're up here," Luna hissed through gritted teeth. "Anyway, yes, I found out who the mystery mutant is. But I'm not saying. It's not my secret to tell."

Tuxedo Kamen forced himself to steady his breathing. "Luna, please… This could be important. If this mutant is powerful enough… What if Usagi's in danger?"

"Oh, believe you me, this mutant could give _ANY_ Senshi a run for her money," Luna admitted. "But I don't think she's in any danger. Just trust me when I say Usagi had a very good reason to keep it a secret from us, and now she expects me to keep it too. I won't stab her in the back like that. Sorry, but you'll have to wait for when Usagi feels the time's right."

Chibi-Moon just kept glowering at Luna. Her future mother could be insanely capricious, but that frustrated Luna as much as it did her. So if Luna was insisting they back off, perhaps they should. "Still, Usagi should hurry up with whatever it is and get over here," said Chibi-Moon.

"Don't worry. If any mutant keeps Usagi from making it here, it won't be that one," said Luna.

"What's that supposed to mean?" demanded Tuxedo Kamen.

"Well, er, I might also have, well, let Usagi use the Transformation Pen to sneak into… Erina Kizachi's seminar," Luna said sheepishly.

In a flash, Tuxedo Kamen lunged across the crate and grabbed Luna by the neck. "You let Usagi go in _THERE_!? What were you thinking, you stupid cat!? Of all the idiotic things you could let her do, why did…"

"Mamo-chan, calm down. Rei reached Usagi long after that seminar should've ended, right?" Chibi-Moon pointed out calmly, and Tuxedo Kamen stopped shaking Luna like mad. "And so what if Usagi keeps going in and out of her transformation? Can you sense any feeling of danger from her?"

Once again, Tuxedo Kamen forced himself to steady his breathing, and thankfully, he let a dizzied Luna drop onto the crate. "No," he said flatly.

"Then Usagi's fine, and both she and Kizachi will be heading here," said Chibi-Moon with a tone of finality. And so, Chibi-Moon laid down again, peering through her rifle's scope. As she scanned the shipyard again, she noticed a small cargo ship was coming up to dock. At last, it looked like something was going to happen. _Just get your butt over here before it does, Usagi._

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The light that exploded within Naru's room finally faded, revealing Sailor Moon standing where Usagi Tsukino had been, in all her resplendent glory. The brilliant white sailor fuku, the shining red boots, the tiara, the golden hair done up in twintails… The heroic figure that came out of nowhere one day, who showed up again and again to turn back threats from an unseen enemy no one really understood. The one Naru once idolized, who led a group Naru desperately wanted to join. How ironic that, just as power awakened within her that would let her fight alongside the Sailor Senshi, the disillusionment began to set in.

Still, Naru could only gape long after the light faded. Some of the admiration she once had for Sailor Moon crept back. The mystique that once surrounded Sailor Moon… For some time now, Naru suspected who Sailor Moon really was. As Usagi came to spend less and less time with her, she gravitated more to these four other girls, all with a particular talent. Insane intelligence, rumored spiritual powers, brute strength… Of course, Makoto's strength now paled compared to hers, but that was beside the point.

As time wore on, Naru kept her mouth shut, despite becoming more certain of her suspicions. Naru felt that the Sailor Senshi were better off not knowing someone deduced their identities. She kept it to herself, even as the resentment grew and grew, feeling left behind by her best friend. But now, Usagi willingly threw away the masquerade. Why would she do that? Naru couldn't focus, still too flabbergasted after seeing her suspicions were right all along. And besides, though this big question was answered, now new ones arose.

Naru wasn't the only one at a loss for words. Usagi probably came here with the intent to reveal her identity all along. But now that she finally took the plunge, Sailor Moon seemed to be at a loss for what to do next, adding to the crushing silence in her room. In fact, what finally got Naru to speak was to point that out. "Uh, Usagi… Sailor Moon… Don't you usually give a little speech or something after you transform?"

Sailor Moon let out a little snort. "That's only when there's a bad guy I have to stop," said Sailor Moon. "That's not you. I'm here to make sure that'll never happen."

Naru was plenty weirded out by this already, but that filled her with more confusion and anxiety. "W-W-W-What'll never happen, Usagi? What're you…"

Sailor Moon rushed forward to grab Naru's shoulders, stunning Naru with her stunning burst of speed. "No one can blame you for being angry with the world right now, and especially with me! There's so much going wrong in Japan, and I'm not doing enough! I saw it in your eyes, that day we saw that poor girl get hauled off!" As Sailor Moon blubbered on, Naru looked into her eyes. They really were Usagi's eyes. She finally noticed it for the first time. The same inviting warmth, the same empathy that showed when she shed tears for those close to her. "There's so much more Sailor Moon can do, and it starts here! That's why… I finally had to show you, Naru. I was more or less born this way, too. A reincarnated princess from a long-dead kingdom. I know what it's like to carry around a secret, afraid people might find out…"

"So, your family, your mother and father… They don't know?" asked Naru. Naru found it hard to believe she was the first outside the Sailor Senshi's inner circle that Usagi willingly revealed her secret to.

Sailor Moon shook her head. "I… kinda envy you, Naru. It looks like your mother knows about you. I wouldn't know where to begin, explaining it to my parents. But you… you understand. And you need to understand, Naru, that there're others who get what you're going through."

Now that the shock of Usagi's revelation was wearing off, a bit of Naru's frustration with her crept back. She slapped Sailor Moon's hands away, careful not to use too much force and rip her arms out of her sockets. Thankfully, a Sailor Senshi got enhanced endurance when they transformed, but Naru didn't quite trust herself to not slap some sense into her right then. "What do you know about mutants!?" Naru roared. "How can I trust you? You fought the X-Men trying to get to Eclipse! Some friend of mutants you are!"

Sailor Moon's lip quivered. "I-I-I-I didn't want to fight the X-Men, Naru, really!" she pleaded. "The others, they picked a fight, and push came to shove… I begged the other Senshi to not think of the X-Men as our enemies, but too many wouldn't listen! You've _GOT_ to believe me!"

"But you still went after Eclipse, even though it looks like she's just cleaning up the streets of yakuza," Naru went on, ignoring Sailor Moon. "A mutant tries to do some good, and the Sailor Senshi show up to blast her into oblivion. Yeah, you're really looking out for mutants. Don't try to pretend you understand what I'm going through. It's obvious you can turn being Sailor Moon on and off. I can't stop being a mutant, Usagi. My powers don't shut off. I go through every day scared out of my mind I'm going to break someone in half, or accidentally rip something apart and give myself away."

"You didn't look too afraid of breaking Umino in half earlier today," Sailor Moon pointed out delicately.

Naru blushed, despite herself. All those months with Umino, feeling she had to be extra-careful with him, treating him as if he were a delicate antique that would crumble if handled too roughly. Maybe it had been the blood pumping after the workout, but earlier today, knowing that Umino longed to get close as any guy would, and finally surrendering to her own needs… "I… Umino's been so patient with me, i-i-i-it just felt right…" Naru got out, flustered.

"And good for you, Naru! You're not letting fear run your life," said Sailor Moon encouragingly. It was as if she refused to let Naru's tongue-lashing get to her. Naru just stared back, feeling Sailor Moon wasn't off the hook yet. "But when I said there's others… I wasn't just talking about me, Naru."

"Then who were you talking about?" demanded Naru.

"I know other mutants, Naru. Ones who've helped a lot of mutants like you, for many, many years," said Sailor Moon. "And one of them's _LITERALLY_ written the book on how to help kids who wind up having mutant powers. I would know, I read it. The whole damn thing." Naru's eyes widened in surprise once more. Usagi Tsukino, reading something as thick as a telephone book of her own free will? She was just dropping shocking secrets left and right today. Sailor Moon shook her head, going on. "But… I still don't really know what to do for you, Naru. I'm a useless idiot when it comes to this sort of thing, I admit it. We both know it. So we're going to someone who does know. You saved me, Naru, so now I'm taking you to someone who can help you."

Naru was about to scoff and protest, but Sailor Moon grabbed her wrist. She threw open the door and dragged her across her home. _Wait, how's she able to drag ME around like this?_ Naru wondered, realizing Usagi's sudden revelation rattled her more than she cared to admit. She was so flustered, it was hard to focus, to use her strength to stand her ground. Plus, Naru wasn't much heavier than a normal girl her age.

Once Sailor Moon dragged Naru to the other side of the building, she opened the sliding glass door, leading to a fire escape right above the alley. After taking a peek to make sure the coast was clear, Sailor Moon jumped. Not to the alley below, but to the roof of the adjacent building. After timidly stepping out onto the fire escape, Naru craned her head up after Sailor Moon called down to her. "C'mon, Naru! Jump on up!"

Naru glared back up at Sailor Moon incredulously. "Really, Sailor Moon? Just because I got my own powers doesn't mean I can follow you anywhere."

Sailor Moon sighed and facepalmed. "Naru, I'm trying to help you here, but I'm on a clock. Now, I've been breaking my brain reading up on mutation and superheroes and everything. If the Hulk can leap five kilometers, then you can jump up a couple of stories. Simple math. Besides, it's not like the fall will hurt you or anything."

Naru glowered up at her again, but knowing Usagi, there would be no talking her out of this. She would keep hounding her, and despite her lingering frustration, Naru was in no mood to pick a fight with Sailor Moon tonight. The best way to get Sailor Moon off her back was to play along, for now.

Taking a deep breath, Naru crouched down, then sprung off the fire escape. She could hear the fire escape beneath her almost give way from the force of her jump, but Sailor Moon's prediction was on the money. She soared up to the roof to meet Sailor Moon, but her trajectory… Naru yelped as she came down centimeters from the roof's edge, forcing her to lash out and grab hold. Her fingertips dug into the concrete, right before Sailor Moon reached over to pull her up.

"Happy now?" Naru spat as she stood up and dusted herself off.

Sailor Moon just kept smiling insufferably. "Very. But we got a long way to go." With that, Sailor Moon grabbed her wrist again. She dragged Naru toward the next building. "Get ready, we're jumping again!" she cried out at the last possible second. Naru bounded the same time she did, sailing over another alley and landing on another roof.

"Really, Sailor Moon, do we have to go… wherever we're going this way!?" Naru demanded vehemently. At last, she stood her ground, and Sailor Moon had a hard time dragging her along now. "In case you've forgotten, I've been trying to keep a low profile. What if someone sees me doing this Le Parkour routine with Sailor Moon herself?"

That insufferable smile on her old friend's face still didn't fade. "And the other Senshi say _I'VE_ been worrying too much. The Sailor Senshi get around by rooftops all the time and no one ever seems to notice," she pointed out. Sailor Moon had a point, but Naru still scowled at her, and of course, her old friend paid no notice. "Besides, think of this as another way to get used to your powers, without limiting yourself to some abandoned warehouse."

"What do you mean?" asked Naru dubiously.

"Come on, Naru! Lighten up a little!" pleaded Sailor Moon. "Think of it, the feeling of total freedom, the wind in your hair… It always kind of helped clear my head a little, whenever rushing to some place I'd probably get my ass kicked." Sailor Moon's eyes widened a little, as if realizing what she just said. "B-B-B-But we're not charging into anything like that!" she cried, frantically waving her hands. "Yeah, the Senshi are going somewhere tonight, but we're going somewhere else first! I-I-I-I just, well, wanted to share this with you before that. You always wanted to be a Senshi. Well, now you can at least get around like one!"

The sincerity in Sailor Moon's voice, the look in her eyes… She really meant every word she said. She truly wished to make amends, despite a lingering fear that it might be too late. At last, Naru decided to just go along with it. Sailor Moon let go and began running for another bound. Sighing, Naru took off after her. She reached Sailor Moon's side just as they reached the roof's edge, and made the next bound together. The gap keeping them from the next building was wider than the others, so they had to stay airborne longer. That's when Naru could feel what Sailor Moon was talking about. The wind rushing through her hair, the exhilarating sense of liberation as they soared across rooftops. Despite herself, despite her lingering frustration with Usagi and her mutant powers, Naru couldn't help but smile. At least, in these brief moments, she could forget her troubles. It was almost as if she had her friend back, and things were as they should've been between them.

Sailor Moon touched down with a perfect three-point landing on the next roof, while Naru had to tuck and roll to a stop. Sailor Moon quickly hoisted Naru back onto her feet, and she followed the Senshi to the next roof. "Yeah, this is what it should've always been like!" Sailor Moon cried as they made another jump. Evidently, Sailor Moon was feeling much the same way, and Naru smiled despite herself.

Naru was lost in the thrill of bounding across rooftops, no longer worrying about where Sailor Moon was taking her. She lost track of time and distance, but Naru guessed Sailor Moon must have led her clear across a quarter of the city. After they landed again, Naru took a moment to look across the rooftop at the city's lights. Sailor Moon was right about boxing herself in, and needing to feel free. She never imagined her strength letting her do something like this. This way, she could rise above the city, above all the people she now feared would turn on her one day. It really did provide a heady sense of freedom, and now Naru craved more. Naru's thoughts were interrupted when Sailor Moon said, "Luna was right. Why couldn't your mutant powers have surfaced sooner? Right now, jumping from roof to roof like this... It's like you've been one of us all along."

"Luna? Your cat?" Naru asked dubiously.

"Yeah, talking cat. A survivor of the Moon Kingdom, charged with finding me and the other Senshi so we could fight the Dark Kingdom, the group Nephrite was part of," said Sailor Moon.

"OK, now that you've fessed up about being Sailor Moon, you'll have to explain all this stuff about reincarnation and this Moon Kingdom. Not to mention the truth about Sanjoin and, wait a minute… I thought you didn't tell anyone I'm a mutant!?" Naru shouted, rounding on Sailor Moon when her words sank in.

Sailor Moon shrank back, sweating a little. "I didn't, Naru! She found out on her own! She tailed me earlier today, but I made her promise to keep her mouth shut about it."

"So I'm trusting everything to a cat, now?" Naru quipped with an incredulous sneer.

"Now you kinda know how I felt, always getting dragged into fights with monsters because a talking cat kept yelling at me," said Sailor Moon with a laugh.

Naru couldn't help but chuckle a little too, despite herself. "Yeah, that does sound weird," said Naru as she gazed out at the Tokyo skyline again. "So what did your cat want from me?"

"She said you would've been hired onto the Senshi team in a heartbeat," said Sailor Moon. "Plus, even though I told her you're not interested in the job anymore, she wanted a mutant on our side. Fight fire with fire, I guess."

Naru kept looking at the dazzling lights along the Tokyo skyline, especially those of Tokyo Tower, as if seeing them for the first time. So it once again took a moment for Sailor Moon's words to sink in. "You're talking about Eclipse, aren't you?" she demanded accusingly, turning to face her. "You Senshi are still going after her. That's where you're going tonight."

"And I told Luna that you shouldn't have any part of it," said Sailor Moon. "But Naru, this mutant… You've got to understand, Naru. We think we've figured out who she really is."

Naru's eyes widened. "You did!? Who is she, then!?"

"She's Erina Kizachi, Naru," said Sailor Moon. "And like I told you before, she's the one making new Sentinels."

"The woman who runs Kizachi Technologies? That freaky roboticist?"

"Yeah, her," said Sailor Moon. "Sounds like you know about her, too."

"Umino's mentioned her before, and I might've met her a few times, going with Mama to certain social gatherings," said Naru. "There was something off about her, come to think of it. The way she'd stare at you from behind those dark lenses… But why's she building Sentinels?"

Sailor Moon shrugged her shoulders. "She hates me with a passion. Why, I don't know. But enough to build Sentinels meant to fight the Sailor Senshi. It doesn't sound like she's carrying on for Sanjoin's old boss, anymore. In fact, one new source I have hinted that Magneto could be mixed up in all this somehow."

"The mutant terrorist? Involved with Sentinels?" Naru asked incredulously. "Where would you find that out, anyway?"

"From the person I'm taking you to," said Sailor Moon. She looked away, across the Tokyo skyline. "And we've made good time. We're almost there. If he's still there, I can introduce you to him, then meet up with the other Senshi. And make sure those Sentinels never come after you, Naru."

"Who, Usagi!?" demanded Naru. "Who did you drag me across Tokyo, jumping across rooftops, to meet in the middle of the night!?"

Sailor Moon looked unfazed by her outburst this time. "To the person who knows all about helping mutants in need and stopping the bad ones. I'm taking you to Professor Charles Xavier, Naru. I'm taking you to the founder of the X-Men."

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The minutes that stretched on after the sun disappeared beyond Tokyo's skyline became hours. Sailor Jupiter wondered how Chibi-Moon was doing, perched on that crate suspended from a crane. Being the sniper must be mind-numbing, waiting like that. Jupiter could certainly empathize with her right now. It wasn't often that the Sailor Senshi did stakeouts like this, and Jupiter was quite grateful for it. Usually, the monsters they fought weren't all that stealthy or bright, so Jupiter could count on being able to wail on one in short order whenever their enemies were up to something. Not this time around. Erina Kizachi was cunning and devious, always staying one step ahead.

 _Until tonight,_ Jupiter remembered. _This time, we'll be ready for you, Kizachi._ She cracked her knuckles as she peeked out from behind a stack of cargo containers. It had been some time since that ship docked, and some shady characters came out to meet people in the middle of the shipyard. Probably yakuza, and cracking their skulls could kill some time and soothe her anxiety. But they weren't for her to throttle. They were bait, them and their goods, graciously casting themselves so that the Senshi could net the big fish.

Sighing, Jupiter ducked back behind the cargo containers. Sailor Mercury was squatting beside her, furiously punching commands into her computer, her visor active. As Jupiter looked down at her, she noticed just how much their white uniforms stood out in the night, even while in the shadows of this container stack. There was a risk of Eclipse spotting them before she even zeroed in on her yakuza quarry. But given how single-minded Eclipse seemed about dishing out the hurt on any yakuza she could get her tendrils on, she might not be keeping an eye out for Senshi this time, hopefully.

Besides, Mercury's visor and computer weren't the only things scanning for Eclipse. Sailor Mars was reaching out with her spiritual powers, and Sailor Neptune's face would be glued to her mirror. And they were all in constant contact. Between the three of them, they had the perfect early warning system. As elusive as Eclipse was, she wouldn't get past all three of them. They'd know when she was slithering up, and be ready. This time, Eclipse wouldn't get away.

Still, Jupiter wished Eclipse would show, so she could finally zap her and bash her face in. Jupiter couldn't remember the last time she hated anyone so much. Creeps like the folks in the Dark Kingdom and the Death Busters… You expected them to try their best to give the Senshi and the world their worst. But Erina Kizachi was something else. Despite being born with mutant powers, she was still human, right? And yet she was lashing out at yakuza without rhyme or reason because of something that happened to her nephew, and building weapons to hunt her own kind. Once they hunted down the Senshi first. You'd expect that sort of single-minded malevolence and hatred from Beryl or Nehelenia. What drove Erina Kizachi to dive even lower than them?

 _The Senshi will get the answers out of her,_ Jupiter thought acidly, thirstier than ever for action. _About the Dark Kingdom, about the Sentinels, everything._ Turning to Mercury, she said, "Any sign of that bucket of used motor oil yet? I am _REALLY_ itching to zap something into oblivion."

"I'm sure you are, Jupiter, but you'll just have to be patient," said Mercury, not even looking up from her computer. "I'm continuously running scans, as are Mars and Neptune. Once one of us gets a whiff of Kizachi, we'll be able to close in when she takes the bait."

"I'm with Jupiter, though. Venus and I are getting tired of waiting, too," came Mars's voice through the computer. "I actually envy you, Jupiter. I've never even seen Eclipse in person, but I'd love to charbroil her all the same."

"Count yourself lucky you haven't faced her, Mars," came Neptune's voice. "It's not fun getting blasted by her dark energy, or getting buried under rubble. I certainly don't mind how Mercury and Jupiter get to soften her up for the rest of us." Jupiter swore she could here Uranus grunt in annoyance on Neptune's end.

"Fighting one of her Sentinels instead isn't any better, believe me Neptune. And technically, Jupiter and I are merely to distract her, so Chibi-Moon can get a clean shot with my chemical weapon," Mercury reminded them, her fingers still flying across her keyboard.

"We could still use our fearless leader, though," spat Mars. "What the hell is keeping her!? What could be more important than bagging Eclipse and making sure those Sentinels are scrapped!?"

Jupiter shuddered, remembering how that Sentinel nearly shredded her and Mercury. Well, perhaps not. Neptune later said that she survived a machine gun barrage courtesy of Eudial. Still, Jupiter didn't want to find out if those Sentinels' miniguns packed more of a punch. Normally, Jupiter would think Mars's criticisms of their leader went too far, but this time, the hot-tempered Senshi had a point. There was a chance to put an end to the Sentinels, here and now. Keep them from ever being turned against mutants again. Wouldn't Usagi want that? Just where was she?

Unfortunately, it looked like they'd have to go on without Usagi. "Everyone, I just saw a faint sign of dark power in my mirror," came Neptune's alarmed voice.

"Likewise, I just got a flash of something too," added Mars. "It came and went very quickly, but… A profound feeling of frustration and pent-up rage. It's got to be her."

At last, action. Still, they didn't know exactly where Eclipse would approach from, and she could still mangle those yakuza thugs good. Scum that they were, the Senshi still had a duty to protect people, guilty and innocent alike. Jupiter peeked out from behind the container again, the antenna of her tiara coming out. "Mercury, any idea where our least-favorite mutant will be coming from?"

"Not quite, Jupiter," said Mercury regretfully. "I'm having the same trouble as before. There are definitely signs of dark power, but for some reason it's impossible to lock down. We may just have to wait until Eclipse strikes, and…"

It turned out they would have no choice, because their elusive enemy wasn't wasting any time. Oily tendrils snaked down from the stack of containers right behind where the men had gathered. In an instant, several of them were ensnared in the black goop. They barely had time to scream before they were slammed against the steel containers, hard enough to break copious amounts of bone from the sound of it.

Looking up, Jupiter saw Eclipse standing on top. Her oil-stained jumpsuit practically let her blend against the night sky. She glared down at her prey. Once again, welding goggles made it impossible to look into her eyes. But despite the goop spreading up over her face, Jupiter could see the way Eclipse's jaw was set, her lips pressed together… Eclipse's stoic veneer was gone. Her bloodlust was bleeding through. Neptune had a point. This had to end, tonight.

Eclipse couldn't put them all down at once. Some ducked out of the way, while others drew their guns and opened fire. Eclipse bounded over to another stack of containers, soaring over a dozen meters with ease. As she ran across it, Eclipse fired off quick blasts of dark energy down at her quarry, tagging some of them. "She's obviously more mobile when unhampered by close quarters," Mercury noted as she ran out from behind cover, still scanning with her visor. "She's still focused on the yakuza and their accomplices. We've got a clean shot."

"Then let's not waste it. No speeches or anything, we just wail on her," Jupiter hissed through gritted teeth, clenching her fist. Electricity crackled all around it and her extended antenna. "Sparkling Wide Pressure!"

The concentrated ball of electrical energy found its mark, taking Eclipse completely by surprise, just as she ran to the container's other end. She toppled over the edge, hitting the concrete hard, and Mercury followed up with an attack her own. "Shabon Spray!" she roared. Soon enough, icy fog enveloped their part of the shipyard. "Get your people out of here while you can!" Mercury shouted to the others through her cover. "We'll hold her here!" They needed no further prodding, some bolting immediately, some taking the time to carry off the unconscious and wounded.

"Now we got the shipyard to ourselves," growled Jupiter, knowing that the shipyard's security was probably bribed to stay away. But that fog wouldn't stymie Eclipse for long, and besides, it defeated the purpose. Chibi-Moon still needed a clean shot, but they had to wear down Eclipse first. So Jupiter looked to where she remembered seeing Eclipse last and shouted, "Supreme Thunder!" Lightning blasted forth from her antenna, and Jupiter was satisfied to hear a scream from within that fog. Jupiter wasn't overly concerned with being gentle.

Tendrils lashed out just as the last of Mercury's fog faded. It kept the two Senshi at bay for a moment, but that was long enough to buy Eclipse breathing room. She used it to snatch up one of the yakuza's rifles with a tendril. A hail of lead now flew in Mercury's direction while slimy tendrils kept lashing out at them both. One snagged Jupiter, spreading out over her torso as it lifted her off the ground. The ooze began creeping up, as if to mangle her antenna, then suffocate her. But Mercury was in no more mood to be staring down the barrels of any guns than Jupiter was. As she rolled aside to dodge gunfire and another tendril, a watery harp formed in her hands. "Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" she shrieked. A stream of freezing water struck the tendril ensnaring Jupiter. She fell to the ground as it shattered to pieces. The rest shot out toward Eclipse. One struck Eclipse dead center, making her crumple with a scream.

"It's working. We're wearing her down," Jupiter breathed as she took a moment to wipe off some of Eclipse's gunk. This… disgusting filth oozing out of her, so fitting for someone like Erina Kizachi, with a poisoned soul and a twisted heart. But now the Senshi had the chance to use it against her. They just had to keep up the pressure. So Jupiter charged, just as Eclipse was getting back on her feet. Dark energy crackled around her as she saw Jupiter sprinting toward her, taking aim with the gun she snatched up. But Jupiter was upon her in a flash, swiping it out of her hands. Jupiter struck Eclipse's face with the rifle's butt as hard as she could, shattering one of her goggles's lenses. She was pleased to hear Eclipse cry out in shock and pain. "No more hot lead injections, Kizachi!" snarled Jupiter. "And your Sentinels aren't here to stop us this time! This nightmare's ending before it can really begin!" Tossing the gun aside, Jupiter twirled around and delivered a spinning kick to her gut. Eclipse was knocked off her feet, colliding with a container right behind her.

"This is the opportunity we've been waiting for," said Mercury as she walked up to her. The menacing, underlying tone of her voice… Facing the creator of that Sentinel was also sapping what little patience Mercury had left.

"Metal. Water. Electricity. I read you, Mercury. Forget making Eclipse feel any regret or getting her to repent, let's just douse her in water and leave her numb," said Jupiter with a nasty grin, electricity already crackling around her antenna again. Eclipse was already on her feet. She really did have the same endurance as one of the Shitennou. But that ooze gave her weaknesses as well as additional strengths, and it was time to exploit them. "Supreme Thunder!" Jupiter roared, sending out another lightning bolt.

"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" Mercury chimed in.

And the shipyard echoed with the sound of crackling thunder, rushing icy water, and Eclipse's screams.

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From her vantage point on the crate, Chibi-Moon could see that so far, their plan was playing out perfectly. With Eclipse up against that container, she would be worn down quicker than they hoped. While one blast of icy water hit Eclipse again, the rest splashed onto that container, letting it conduct the electricity from Jupiter's attack. Eclipse would be worn out and susceptible to Mercury's chemical weapon in short order.

For a moment, however, Chibi-Moon feared Mercury and Jupiter would overdo it. Mercury already had to be careful with her attacks. If she laid into Eclipse too much, she could wind up freezing too much of her oil slick. They needed most of it intact, for the sedatives in their weapon to seep in and knock Eclipse out. Thankfully, Mercury hadn't lost sight of that, but Chibi-Moon could tell from their body language they weren't too concerned about being gentle with Eclipse. Though they wouldn't admit it, that Sentinel attack still had them rattled, and found it hard to restrain themselves now that they had another shot at its maker. "C'mon you two, back it off, back it off," Chibi-Moon muttered under her breath. "I can't get a clean shot until you _BACK OFF_."

As if they had heard her, the flow of electricity from Jupiter's antenna abated, and she let Eclipse slump to the ground. Steam rose from Eclipse's trembling body, and as Chibi-Moon stared through her scope, she noticed her helmet looked a little melted. It even looked like Eclipse's goggles were half-fused onto her face!

Despite such a massive barrage, it looked like Eclipse was able to tank even that! Only seconds later, she was back on her feet, though her legs were trembling. "Fine, whatever. You're one tough little bitch, Eclipse," muttered Chibi-Moon. "Doesn't matter, you won't be able to tank this. So c'mon, c'mon… Let's see the oil flow one more time…"

Jupiter and Mercury held back, knowing their job was done, but Chibi-Moon could tell they still wanted to unload on her, especially Jupiter. "All the more reason to end this now," said Chibi-Moon, just as she saw that oil slick spread out over Eclipse's jumpsuit. For the moment, though, she stood in place, watching the two Senshi on the ground carefully. There would never be a better opening than right now. This was it. So Chibi-Moon got the crosshairs right over Eclipse's torso, and after only another second of hesitation, pulled the trigger.

Chibi-Moon saw Eclipse recoil in shock almost at once. Thanks to her scope, she could see the clear liquid spread out over Eclipse's oil slick, swiftly being absorbed through it. But like Mercury said, they had no idea how efficacious her weapon was, since a field test was impossible. So, while Eclipse was still confused and wide open, Chibi-Moon let another shot slide into her rifle's chamber, and fired again. Once again, Eclipse reared back, screaming this time. Swiftly losing her composure, Eclipse lashed out with her black lightning, forcing Mercury and Jupiter to take evasion action. But it seemed like her attacks came a little… slower? Oily tendrils followed to ensnare and smash the two Senshi, but now Chibi-Moon could see a clear difference. Those tendrils already looked a little watery, far less cohesive than before. Smiling with relief, Chibi-Moon fired another shot, knocking Eclipse flat on her ass. The parts of her oil slick that were out splattered impotently along the shipyard floor, slowly receding back toward her, but flowed more like water and less like that viscous gunk from before.

"What do you know, video games are useful," Chibi-Moon said with a grin. Three perfect shots, and now that anti-Eclipse weapon was seeping in. This was one first, important step to solving this problem with mutants here in Japan. But then Chibi-Moon frowned again. Usagi should've been here, helping them with that. What was keeping her?

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Sailor Mars ran out with Sailor Venus to where Chibi-Moon's shots had rendered Eclipse powerless, or so she hoped. As they ran past another stack of cargo containers, Mars could see Jupiter and Mercury were keeping their distance, simply waiting for their weapon to take full effect. Though Mars could see Jupiter cracking her knuckles, and could even sense her eagerness to wail on Eclipse again. She looked back to Eclipse, disturbed that even now, with Mercury's weapon neutralizing her powers and dulling her senses, she couldn't really sense anything from the mutant.

Eclipse turned to glare at the new arrivals, not noticing Uranus and Neptune closing in from the opposite end. One of her lenses was shattered, and Mars could see a look of pure, vindictive spite in that eye. Despite how that chemical cocktail was making her oil slick lose its cohesiveness, she still tried to send out smashing tendrils in conjunction with blasts of black lightning. Not that the former did Eclipse any good. One wrapped around Jupiter again, but her strength was more than enough to free herself. Another came at Uranus, but her Space Sword made short work of it.

"You just don't know when you're beaten!" roared Jupiter as she charged. She jumped over a blast of black lightning that made the concrete crack apart, then tackled Eclipse to the ground. "It's over, Eclipse! You'll never get the chance to terrorize your own kind, we Senshi will make sure of that!"

Eclipse was back on her feet as she wrestled with Jupiter, but her legs were more wobbly than ever. When she finally shoved Jupiter away, Eclipse looked ready to topple over. Mars decided to help her with that. A fiery bow formed in her hands. "Mars Flame Sniper!" she cried, cutting loose with her blazing arrow. It struck her left shoulder, burning away some of her jumpsuit, but Eclipse herself just staggered back.

Mars grit her teeth. Mercury and Jupiter really were the only ones with attacks capable of truly hurting Eclipse. Well, Sailor Moon's tiara was also supposed to work. Just where was that meathead!? If things took an ugly turn, it would be nice if Sailor Moon were here to lob Eclipse's head off. The rest of mutantkind would thank them, if it meant no more Sentinels.

Undaunted, Venus followed up. "Crescent Beam!" she shouted, pointing at Eclipse. Her pulverizing laser blast struck Eclipse's midsection, and this time she was knocked off her feet, winding up being smashed against that cargo container again.

Still, Eclipse refused to go down. With one hand against the container for support, she slowly got back up on wobbly legs. That ooze was sliding off her face, revealing her scowl and gritted teeth. She glared over at Mars and Venus, raising a clenched fist. It crackled with dark power. Mercury's weapon was rendering her oil slick useless, but the power bequeathed by the Dark Kingdom was another matter.

Uranus and Neptune would have none of it, though. Mars could already hear energized seawater coalescing. "Deep Submerge!" roared Neptune.

"World Shaking!" Uranus followed up. Both blasts struck Eclipse in unison, making her smash right through the cargo container and come out the stack's other side. Her limp body skipped across concrete until it slammed into another one.

The six Senshi ran around the stack Eclipse was blasted through. As they closed in on where Eclipse lay still, they were joined by Sailor Chibi-Moon, Tuxedo Kamen, Luna and Artemis. "Is it finally over?" Artemis asked hopefully. "Did all that take everything out of her?"

"They certainly blasted her enough times to knock one of the Shitennou silly," Luna replied as they all closed ranks around the downed mutant, though staying a safe distance away.

"Well, Mercury? Did your weapon finally turn the tide?" demanded Neptune as she looked down at Eclipse with sneering contempt.

"It's… hard to say," Mercury replied as she started to crunch her visor's data. "Eclipse's body is still making scans difficult. The readings I'm getting regarding her vital systems are promising, though some other data coming in…"

As Mercury said that, Eclipse used wobbly arms to prop herself up onto her knees. Through that shattered lens, Mars could see a listless gaze, but the smoldering fires of frustration and rage remained. Even now, Eclipse refused to go down quietly. With a shriek of unfettered fury, dark power arced all around her, further conducted by the nearby containers. Not only that, more tendrils shot out everywhere, and while they weren't as viscous as normal, nor did they have a watery consistency anymore.

"Mercury, your weapon's effects are wearing off already!?" Uranus cried vehemently.

"N-N-N-Not entirely!" Mercury cried back in protest. "The sedatives are doing their job. What scan data I've got clearly shows CNS depression is hitting Eclipse hard! But as for reducing her oil slick's consistency to water… Somehow, it's sequestering my weapon, dulling its effects!" As if to emphasize her point, one tendril shot out dangerously close. "Oh, great. Shabon Spray Freezing!" Her freezing mist made the tendril shatter to pieces, but the cover it afforded was useless, as Eclipse was happy to keep firing blind.

"Maybe it _IS_ like one of those alien symbiotes!" cried Mars as she ducked under another whipping tendril. "It's like some autonomous defense mechanism switched on now that she's nearly sedated, pretty much giving her oil slick a mind of its own!" It was doing more than that. Mars could see some of Eclipse's oil slick wrapping around her like a cocoon, while some tendrils drove themselves into the concrete, as if to anchor her in place. All the while, dark energy lanced out at the Senshi. One bolt struck Mars dead center, knocking her back a few meters.

Fortunately, it was nowhere near powerful enough to render Mars unconscious. She got back on her feet in short order. Chibi-Moon and Tuxedo Kamen stood over her. "Chibi-Moon, how much more of Ami's weapon is left?" asked Tuxedo Kamen.

"Just one shot left," said Chibi-Moon as she raised her rifle and fired. Unfortunately, a whipping tendril knocked away the last round of their chemical weapon. It sank into the sea as Eclipse's power lashed out without restraint.

"We've got to end this. We tried to take her alive, but…" Tuxedo Kamen fell silent as he readied a handful of roses. "Usa-ko, please forgive me, but to protect everyone here…" Tuxedo Kamen let his barrage of roses fly, but from out of nowhere, a flurry of pink, glowing… things shot out to intercept them. Once they made contact with the roses, they detonated in midair.

"Now now, Cape Boy," came a taunting voice from above. "From all the reports we read on the Senshi, one would think Tuxedo Kamen was quite the ladies' man. Disappointin' t' see those reports be greatly exaggerated."

Two figures jumped down from the cargo container Eclipse had been slammed into, standing between her and the Sailor Senshi. The one who threw those pink things and taunted Tuxedo Kamen took a few steps forward. He held a staff in one hand and… cards glowing with pink energy in the other? Judging from the pinkish-red irises and glowing black sclera, this had to be the thief who gave Uranus such a headache. But Gambit had ditched the street clothes. He now wore a reddish-black coat, and some sort of uniform. A black leather suit with gold trim, with a gold circular emblem bearing the English letter 'X' on his belt buckle. Pips on the sides of his suit's collar also had that emblem, and it also worked in an X pattern over his chest.

The other guy had a similar uniform, though it was sleeveless, showing his metallic left arm. That, his grizzled appearance, and his flat-top of white hair told Mars this had to be Cable. Mars shuddered, remembering he was supposed to be another mutant telepath. Chibi-Moon, meanwhile, fixed Cable with a steely gaze. If Cable noticed, he showed no sign, as he was busy using his telekinesis to form barriers forcing back Eclipse's tendrils and blasts of dark energy.

"Oh no, oh NO… Not you two again!" snarled Uranus, her voice dripping with acid. Mars turned to see both her and Neptune charging at the two X-Men, talismans at the ready. The split second before they could unleash their attacks, however, there was a terrifying roar. Something big and blue tackled the Outer Senshi from behind, then chucked them over toward Mars, Chibi-Moon, Tuxedo Kamen and the cats.

"You've got to be… _THAT'S_ Dr. Henry McCoy!?" Luna cried in disbelief. Mars couldn't quite believe it herself. After everything Mercury said about him, Mars would never guess such a brilliant scientist would come off as a monster at first glance. Covered with blue fur, with absurdly big hands and feet, fangs to punctuate the rest of his pointy teeth… His uniform was different, consisting of leather pants with no boots and an open, sleeveless vest, as if to help show off his gruesome appearance.

"Well, the name 'Beast' suddenly makes perfect sense," grumbled Artemis.

If Beast was perturbed by talking cats, he showed no sign. He turned to Cable and said, "It appears Ami Mizuno's creation was partially effective, but her teammate's hypothesis regarding an autonomous function of her mutant power being triggered appears quite accurate," he said, scrutinizing Eclipse's anchored form. "Nathan, are you having any luck countering her abilities?"

"Well, I can contain the goop and the dark stuff, but despite how drugged up the lady is, I still can't get inside her head. Not without some considerable effort, that is," Cable grumbled, nearly done forcing back everything Eclipse was throwing out. "This may take some time."

"Time I don't think these lovely ladies'll be givin' us," said Gambit. Cable nodded in agreement, looking over his shoulder while unholstering some sort of pistol. Only it was a gun the likes of which Mars had never seen.

"Finally the thief's right about something," spat Uranus. "World Shaking!"

Uranus's attack quickly bridged the distance between the two teams, though it never reached her target. A fourth X-Man dropped straight down and, to Mars's astonishment, _KICKED_ the attack over across the water! Everyone gaped at the new arrival, except Neptune, who glowered at the X-Man. A woman a little taller than Neptune, sporting long, brown hair with a white blotch right over her forehead, and also had a green bandana around it. She had a uniform similar to Gambit's, though instead of a coat, she wore a greenish-black jacket over it.

"Am I t' understand _YOU'RE_ the reason I had t' spend over an hour stitchin' up our favorite thief?" demanded the new arrival, pointing angrily at Uranus.

"And believe you me, Rogue wasn't none too gentle about it," Gambit added with a smile.

"Oh _ZIP IT_ , swamp rat," barked Rogue, though she couldn't quite suppress a grin herself as she glanced back at him. "Would ya rather've had Hank and those big meaty paws o' his do it instead?"

Uranus didn't answer, instead using that moment Rogue looked away to charge. She came at Rogue with a roundhouse kick to the face, but she raised her forearm to block it just in time. Uranus swiftly spun around and came at Rogue with a chop, but Rogue simply caught her wrist. Mars could only gape as Uranus tried and failed to pull away, then Uranus screamed as Rogue forced her down onto one knee. Rogue smirked down at Uranus while rearing back a fist. She sank it right into Uranus's gut, and she took off like a cannonball. She would've sailed clear across the shipyard if Tuxedo Kamen hadn't jumped up to catch her.

"You better think twice about dipping inta my pot o' gumbo again, honeybunch," Rogue taunted as the other Senshi gathered around Tuxedo Kamen. Uranus was still conscious, but clearly rattled, coughing up a little blood. "Otherwise, next time, ya may just get it with _THESE_!" Some of the Senshi turned back to Rogue after hearing a strange noise. They were stunned to see a trio of claws made of bone had emerged from between the knuckles of Rogue's clenched fist, blood dribbling down them.

"She's got… _BONES_ coming out of her hands!?" Venus cried, unable to contain her disgust.

"Ewwwww! _**GROSS**_!" spat Chibi-Moon.

"On top of them having yet _ANOTHER_ super-strong mutant, yes, that _IS_ ridiculous," mused Neptune, none too pleased. But upon looking down to Uranus, she smiled and said, "Well, I guess there's no need to worry about you being too obsessed with getting your hands on the Cajun again." Uranus just glared up at her in annoyance, right before spitting out another wad of blood.

Venus helped Uranus get back on her feet. "Relationship squabbles aside, we're not going to let them push the Senshi around like this, right?" Venus asked delicately. "We've still got a job to do, and only these X-Men are standing in the way, so I say we rush them and…"

A weird slurping sound made Venus fall silent. She and Mars looked to the source, over at the far left end of the cargo container the X-Men were closing rank around. Mars's eyes widened in shock. Usagi wasn't lying about someone who could walk through walls! Only, this girl was rising up from the concrete, and brought someone up with her! Her hand was on a man's shoulder, someone barely around her height. He wore a black uniform just like the others, but there was no mistaking who he was, despite the wardrobe change.

"Oh great… Logan!?" Mars demanded. Logan didn't answer, only scowling over at the Sailor Senshi. He raised his fists, and out popped claws like Rogue's. Only, these were made of metal, and looked razor-sharp! Yet somehow, the girl's glare managed to be just as intimidating as Logan's.

"We are so dead," muttered Venus. "The clawed guy… That's the WOLVERINE. He'll go into a berserker rage with those claws of his, and from the reports I've read, he _WON'T_ be stopped and they'll cut through _ANYTHING_. And the girl with him… I've read about her, during my time in the United Kingdom. She's the SHADOWCAT."

That wasn't it for the X-Men's reinforcements. Something else was coming over that cargo container. Some sort of… platform made of ice!? Once it extended over the container, the guy creating it jumped down. So did the guy with him, and as he dropped down, his skin changed into segmented steel! So _THIS_ was Colossus! Both men wore sleeveless uniforms, but the guy who made that ice slide somehow changed his skin, perhaps his entire body, into some sort of living ice! Icy spikes rose from his shoulders, and his hair looked rather spiky as well. It was such a bizarre sight, Mars didn't notice the storm clouds that had rolled in until thunder rumbled overhead.

"Jupiter, please tell me you're doing that," said Mercury fearfully.

"Uh, nope. Not me," said Jupiter simply.

"Then we're in _BIG_ trouble now," muttered Mercury.

Mars wasn't quite sure what Mercury meant. Weren't they in big trouble already? Another thundercrack made her look up. It looked like the funnel of a tornado was forming, coming down toward them! But no, once it was only a few dozen meters overhead, a spinning black shape emerged from under it, lightning crackling around its form. It levitated down further, and Mars could make out a woman's shape, who sported white hair and dark skin. She also wore one of those black uniforms, but had a cape fastened to her wrists and back, and the emblem of the X-Men was emblazoned over the front of her shoulders instead.

 _According to Usagi, this has to be Storm. She's their leader when the X-Men go into battle,_ Mars reasoned as Storm hovered above her team. Mars looked into her eyes, hoping to gauge what the opposition's leader was thinking, but they were a solid white. Lightning continued to crackle around Storm, but otherwise neither she nor the other X-Men made a sound. For the moment, they just stood together, the soul-sucking black of their uniforms a mocking contrast to the white of the Sailor Senshi's fukus, making them wonder just what the mutants had in store. But all Mars could think was that she really, _REALLY_ wished Usagi would finally haul her butt over here. Because she had a feeling they never needed Sailor Moon more than they did right then.

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Next time: **X-MEN VS. SAILOR SENSHI**

'Nuff said.

So long,

Grey-X


	13. Clash of Superheroes

Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 13: Clash of Superheroes

9-18-2017

By Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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Gritting her teeth, Sailor Uranus shoved Tuxedo Kamen aside. Fire still flared in her belly from Rogue's hit. Uranus didn't immediately realize she had one arm slung across her midsection as she tried to stand without her legs wobbling. Spitting out another wad of blood, she glared over at the mutant team standing between the Sailor Senshi and Eclipse. She wanted nothing more than for the Senshi to charge and unleash everything, smash through that line, but even Uranus knew they had to be wary. As the Senshi of Wind, Uranus could sense the raw power this Storm could unleash through the very air around them. Plus, one couldn't ignore the lightning crackling around her. Electrical output that equaled what Sailor Jupiter could normally do, at least. It also didn't help that the X-Men outnumbered them, if only by one.

For the moment, Cable was more focused on keeping Eclipse's power contained than screwing with anyone's head. "I can pretty much keep her power in check for however long the Senshi's sedatives last," said Cable gruffly. "Shadowcat, Wolverine, see what you can do to cut her loose."

The little clawed man and the girl beside him kept glaring at the Senshi as they stepped backwards, toward where Eclipse anchored herself into the concrete. The girl seemed to pass through Cable's telekinetic barrier as if it wasn't even there. Could _ANYTHING_ keep that girl out? She put her hands on where Eclipse's shoulders probably were and pulled as if to pry her loose, but received a jolt of dark power for her efforts. "That dark energy of hers… It's throwing off my phasing ability. I don't think we're getting her free that way."

Then Wolverine gave it a try. Cable lowered the barrier near the base of Eclipse's cocoon, and Wolverine slashed away. Uranus squinted, seeing that the tendrils reformed almost as soon as he sliced through them! One tendril was too viscous for even him to completely cut through, and he also got a jolt, going through his claws. "Ugh, my adamantium skeleton's conductin' this stuff she's throwin' out but good," Wolverine grumbled as he staggered back. "We ain't cuttin' her loose either."

"Colossus, Iceman, you two give it a try," said Storm. Somehow, her words cut deeper than the thunder that still crackled overhead. Everything about the X-Men's leader betrayed how the entire team meant business. Cable promised the X-Men wouldn't hold back next time their teams clashed, and now Uranus realized he wasn't bluffing.

Unfortunately for Colossus, he ran into the same problem Wolverine did. On top of Eclipse's oil slick being too elastic and slippery, his armored form conducted her dark energy all too well. "Lenin's Ghost… Tanking one of her blasts is one thing, but having it surge through you, so close to the source…" Colossus stumbled back, forced to relinquish what hold he had.

Meanwhile, Iceman tried freezing the tendrils, but just as with Wolverine's attempt, more formed to reanchor Eclipse. "Putting these tentacles on ice is yet another no-go, and I'm too afraid that deep freezing the little lady will do permanent damage," said Iceman.

"They… don't seem to know that ice really is their best bet for getting Eclipse away from us," Luna whispered. "That, or Storm's lightning."

"Perhaps McCoy couldn't analyze what samples they had from when Gambit's cards splattered ooze all over the place," Neptune whispered back. "Either that, or this Beast didn't have enough time or the tools to figure out what Mercury did."

"Shut up, both of you," hissed Chibi-Moon. "They might hear you, and while you're all at it, clear your heads. If Cable digs up that little nugget, Eclipse is as good as gone." She spoke it with such vehemence, but Uranus could still detect doubt in her voice.

"Then it's up to you, Cable," said Storm. "Keep Eclipse's power contained. And keep trying to probe her mind, use your telekinesis to pry free what's anchoring her, whatever it takes. One way or another, this chaos with Eclipse ends tonight."

Uranus had finally heard enough. "That's because she'll be dealt with by us Senshi!" Uranus roared. "She's connected to the Sailor Senshi's oldest enemy, and she's been terrorizing citizens of Japan. She's _OURS_ to deal with, and no one's taking her away until we get information and get justice. Not even another superhero team."

Storm looked down directly at her. Those solid white eyes spoke volumes. Unlike Uranus, Storm wasn't exactly spoiling for a fight, but it was clear she would not back down from one if push came to shove. Also, did Storm somehow sense she was another who could command the winds? Whatever the case, when Storm spoke, she addressed them all. "Please hear me, Sailor Senshi. I am Storm, field commander of the X-Men. We have no wish to harm any of you, but nor can we allow harm to come to another mutant who quite possibly needs help only we can provide. Besides, this situation is potentially more complex than you realize."

"Right back at you, Weather Lady," spat Venus. "Not only is she connected to the people who destroyed the Moon Kingdom, she's also been building new Sentinels!"

"It's true! I didn't want to believe it at first, but everything points to Eclipse being Erina Kizachi!" cried Mercury. "It took four of us Senshi just to stop one of her new Sentinels, so what happens when they get used on their usual targets?"

"Mercury's right. By protecting her, you're giving those Sentinels a chance to come bail her out again. Is that what you want!?" demanded Jupiter.

It appeared the fear of Sentinels didn't quite dissuade these mutants. Rogue had retracted those claws, and was cracking her knuckles. Gambit still had cards in hand, his glowing eyes letting Uranus know he was ready to charge them at a moment's notice. Shadowcat's stance betrayed eagerness to spring. Even Beast, supposedly the most scholarly of the bunch, showed no willingness to back down.

Uranus's gaze fell on Wolverine. Something told Uranus he should be the one most eager for an all-out brawl. Yet instead of sharing his fellow mutants' resolve to stand their ground, there was a strange, wide-eyed look on his face.

"We suspected the Senshi turned back a Sentinel attack," said Storm firmly. "And the X-Men will certainly help your team solve the conspiracy surrounding this new model. But in the meantime…" Storm suddenly stopped, as if caught by surprise by something.

Whatever it was, Neptune saw it as an opening. Uranus could sense her partner's patience ebb to nothing, a split second before she unleashed her attack. "Submarine Reflection!" she roared, aiming her mirror at the line of mutants blocking them from their goal.

Neptune's aim must have been to sweep up the X-Men with her blast, thinking she had a free shot since Cable had to generate telekinetic barriers elsewhere. Unfortunately, another X-Man could counter her power. Iceman leapt forward with outstretched hands, releasing an intense blast of icy power. He grit his teeth, his powers put to the test, but Iceman's defense held and succeeded in stopping Neptune's attack cold.

But the gauntlet was thrown. If there had been any hope of resolving this peacefully, it was gone now. Uranus saw some of the other Senshi readying attacks to blow the X-Men away. That was when Colossus placed a hand around Iceman and Wolverine's waists, and Rogue did the same with Beast and Gambit. It immediately became apparent why. An instant before the Senshi could unload, a powerful gust roared from across the sea, coming out of nowhere. It was as if a cyclone appeared, and a surge of water rushed across the shipyard.

The water passed harmlessly through Shadowcat, and Cable must have been anchored with his telekinesis while Rogue and Colossus held the other X-Men in place. Unfortunately, the storm surge was more than enough to knock the Senshi off their feet. The hurricane-force winds didn't abate either. Now they roared across the shipyard, blowing the Senshi back further.

"I'm sorry, Sailor Senshi, but there's more going on here than either of us currently understand," said Storm as she rose higher, the lightning around her crackling even more fiercely. Then, she spoke to her team. "X-Men, keep the Senshi away from Eclipse, whatever it takes!"

Uranus steadily rose on her hands and knees, gagging on seawater. _H-H-How did… How did the other X-Men know Storm was going to pull that stunt with gale-force winds!?_ Uranus wondered angrily. She looked ahead, seeing Storm had blown them all back a good distance, but could still make out Cable still trying to pry Eclipse free of the concrete. Suddenly, it all made sense. Cable couldn't just send messages to teammates with his telepathy. Somehow, he could link all the X-Men's minds. So they all knew what Storm was planning, and readied themselves for the winds and water that would hammer the Senshi. _Another ridiculous advantage these mutants have over us,_ Uranus realized, grunting as she stood back up.

Unfortunately, she had other problems to deal with first. The X-Men were already on the move. Uranus grumbled when she saw Gambit run out from behind a container stack. She was more than ready for a rematch with the Cajun, producing her Space Sword. But before Gambit could spot her, Tuxedo Kamen came right at him, cane at the ready.

"You will not keep us from our goal!" spat Tuxedo Kamen, inches from Gambit's face as their weapons clashed. "A deceptive thief such as yourself won't get in the way of justice!"

"'Deceptive thief?'" Gambit echoed in an amused tone, smiling like always. "I dunno, that sounds harsh. And somethin' tells me you got experience stealin' a heart yourself."

Tuxedo Kamen howled in fury, sinking his knee into Gambit's gut. Gambit staggered back a good distance, and Tuxedo Kamen didn't let up. But getting the wind knocked out of him couldn't keep Gambit from parrying his next attack. The two became black blurs against the backdrop of the still-churning sea as they moved back and forth, their staffs clashing.

 _He's doing it again. Taking everything one of our best fighters can dish out, smiling the whole time,_ Uranus thought angrily, clenching a fist that collected power. There was no sense being honorable with a thief. Best to return the favor, and blindside him while Tuxedo Kamen kept him occupied.

But right before Uranus unleashed her attack, something stayed her hand. Even with this mutant manipulating the weather, Uranus could still sense things on the winds, when she allowed herself to stop and listen. And right now, as furious as they were, the winds whispered that she had more worries than one insufferable Cajun. About someone who would be hard to detect otherwise, who knew how to move, and use cover…

"World…" Uranus began, raising her fist. An instant before she would have sent her attack Gambit's way, Uranus whirled around. "SHAKING!" she finished, and her attack slammed into Wolverine, just as he leaped off a stack of containers. It slammed into him hard, smashing him against a container and forcefully pressing him against it for a moment before dissipating. "HA!" Uranus cried triumphantly, watching Wolverine fall to the ground.

Only to see him rise instantly. The shearing winds left gashes across Wolverine's face, and ripped through parts of his uniform along his chest and left shoulder, where Uranus had also inflicted deep wounds. But, no, it couldn't be, her eyes had to be deceiving her. Wolverine's wounds were already closing! Moments later, it was as if the wounds were never there, some blood that had dribbled out being the only evidence left!

"Colossus wasn't lyin' about you packin' a wallop, babe, and you gotta be good to hear me comin' in the middle of this cyclone Ororo kicked up," Wolverine said with a smirk as he steadily advanced, spreading his arms to brandish his claws. "So leave the Cajun and Cape-Boy alone. Let me have the honor of havin' this dance."

Uranus could only stare back for a moment, gritting her teeth. _THIS_ must've been what Venus meant about how Wolverine wouldn't be stopped. He could instantaneously heal from just about anything! And would keep coming until he got you.

Still, Uranus wouldn't back down. With her Space Sword at the ready, she and Wolverine circled each other. Mist sprayed across the shipyard as they watched for telltale signs that the other was about to make a move.

Suddenly, Wolverine howled and lunged forward with his right hand, but Uranus parried his claws with her sword just in time. _His speed, his ferocity… I've never seen anything quite like it!_ Uranus realized. Wolverine twirled around and came at her with his other set of claws. Uranus edged back, the claws coming within centimeters of gutting her, then countered with a roundhouse kick to Wolverine's face. _It's like kicking a tree stump… Is his entire skeleton laced with that metal, too!?_ Uranus wondered. Still, it knocked Wolverine to the ground, though he sprang right back up, coming at Uranus with his claws again.

Wolverine came off like a feral animal, yet there was practiced skill and technique behind his strikes. It was all Uranus could do to parry swipes from two sets of claws with one sword, while still keeping an eye out for holes in Wolverine's defense. Just like with Gambit, that last part was no easy feat.

As Wolverine forced her back further and further, away from where Eclipse was still anchored, Uranus knew she had to beat him back, and fast. Wolverine made another swipe, and her sword slid in between two claws. When Wolverine slashed at her with his other hand, Uranus caught his wrist. They struggled for a moment, locked together as they were, until Uranus slammed her forehead down against Wolverine's. She felt her tiara slam against something _VERY_ hard. Did he really have his bones laced with that metal!? Still, it was enough to make Wolverine stagger back, and Uranus used that opening to slide her sword into his gut.

 _He'll probably heal from this too,_ Uranus realized. _Not a second to spare._ As Wolverine fell back, Uranus moved in to stab through Wolverine's heart. Unfortunately, even after being gutted, Wolverine was far from helpless. Wolverine's foot smashed across Uranus's face as he rolled aside. Uranus looked to see Wolverine was back on his feet, the gaping wound in his midsection already vanishing. Howling, Uranus charged, aiming to stab him again while she still had a slight edge. Her sword got caught between his claws again. With a flick of his wrist, the Space Sword flew out of Uranus's hand, and with his other set of claws, he slashed at her side.

"Gaaaah!" Uranus screamed as she stumbled back, one hand instinctively rushing to her side. She immediately felt warm, sticky blood. Risking a horrified glance down, Uranus saw Wolverine's claws, thankfully, hadn't penetrated too deeply through her fuku. Some blood was trickling out of a trio of slash wounds, but nothing life-threatening. Still, the fact that his claws could cut through her fuku _AT ALL_ …

Even worse, Wolverine had disarmed her. Looking back to the X-Man, Uranus saw him smirking at her. Smirking! Though he didn't exude the same infuriating charm as Gambit, it was no less vexing. "Gotta admit, it's a shame you ain't never gonna swing my way according to the Cajun, 'cause I like you're style," Wolverine beamed. "Anyway, I think we've had enough fun." At first, Uranus figured that meant he had been holding back, the thought of which infuriated her even more. Then, to her amazement, Wolverine sheathed his claws.

"You're… disarming yourself!?" Uranus demanded disbelievingly.

"Doesn't seem fair to do otherwise, since I disarmed you," said Wolverine. "I gave it everything I had at first, out of respect. But I didn't come here to carve up Sailor Sushi in the first place, 'specially since your boss wanted us to carve up Sentinels instead."

"My 'boss'? What are you…" Then it hit her harder than Colossus ever could. "You mean Sailor Moon!? What have you done with our princess!?"

"Me? Nothin', except tell her I'd happily have her back if she wanted to wreck some Sentinels," said Wolverine. Uranus didn't buy a word of it. "She came to us, askin' for help, and it sounded like the professor was willin' to give it."

Uranus had heard enough. She cut loose with World Shaking again, then shoulder-charged Wolverine when he leapt aside. Whatever the reason for Sailor Moon's absence, these X-Men had a part in it, Uranus was certain. Uranus tackled Wolverine to the ground, who amazingly didn't pop his claws back out, and grabbed his throat. "Let's see you heal from lack of oxygen!" she roared, clamping down. "We don't need any of you when it comes to these Sentinels! We were just about to take care of that problem!"

"You mean Eclipse?" Wolverine gasped out, right before reaching up to pry Uranus's hands loose. "You got it all backwards, darlin'. That won't solve nothin'. She's…" With a snarl, Uranus stood and threw Wolverine aside, toward the nearby water. With any luck, those churning seas would drown the vexing little monster. Little wonder so many yakuza called him such. Unfortunately, he popped one set of claws back out and dug into the concrete with them, halting his momentum. He sheathed them again upon coming to a halt, dashing back toward Uranus. "Fine then. Don't listen to reason," Wolverine spat as he tackled Uranus to the ground.

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Usagi had hinted about how the X-Men were such an experienced, disciplined team, and their opening salvo sure proved it. Their first major push after standing united was to confuse and separate them with Storm's weather manipulation, then have Cable guard Eclipse as they spread out to keep them occupied. There was no time to regroup, or come up with any plan. They just had to hope one of them could evade the X-Men prowling the shipyards, then take Cable out while he was focused on prying Eclipse loose. And that was just what Jupiter intended to do, despite longing to take out her frustration out on one or two of these mutants. Who asked them to butt in, and why were they so dead-set on protecting the one building new Sentinels?

While it looked like some of the X-Men intercepted certain Senshi close to the water and the ships, Jupiter managed to slip back toward the buildings. She was moving alongside one of the buildings as stealthily as she could manage, figuring that she was looping back around to where Eclipse anchored herself.

Jupiter soon found out she was right, but not in a way that raised her hopes. That woman who almost knocked Uranus to the Hokkaido region, Rogue, was _FLYING_ around. She was arranging cargo containers so they stood up vertically, forming a ring around Cable and Eclipse. Then, Iceman looped around the makeshift barrier on another ice slide, forming an icy barricade around the containers and freezing them together. "That's… going to complicate things," Jupiter muttered as Rogue and Iceman sped off to track down the Senshi. Thankfully, neither spotted her. Granted, a big enough blast of lightning could plow through all that, but the only hope of getting Cable away from Eclipse was to take him by surprise. Jumping on top of that barricade was hardly a better prospect, as either Rogue or Storm would be flying around, and could spot her easily.

Thunder still rumbled overhead to remind Jupiter the latter was still out there. Jupiter clenched her fist in frustration. Someone else who could command lightning so expertly? It was galling in the extreme. _Oh well, if the sparks are going to fly when she shows up, so be it,_ Jupiter mused as she dashed out from behind cover, heading for the X-Men's makeshift barricade.

She didn't get more than ten meters before something big and blue dropped down right in front of her, seemingly out of nowhere. Of course, Jupiter knew exactly who it was, having seen him face-to-face before. And Ami later said his speed and strength could easily match hers. Jupiter didn't know whether that was more galling than Storm also having command over lightning.

"Out of my way, McCoy," Jupiter demanded, assuming a battle-ready stance. "You aren't the only speedy bruiser out there, and your boss isn't the only one who can make sparks fly."

"Why yes, being a former Avenger, I am keenly aware that there are many who can command weaponized electrical phenomenon through borderline supernatural means," said Beast, quite amicably for someone otherwise having no compunctions about starting a fight. "Though I had fervently hoped that, unlike Thor, you wouldn't be so eager to engage in such unavailing pugnaciousness, not when our objectives otherwise align so unmitigatedly."

For a moment, Jupiter's vexation with how so many X-Men could equal her abilities vanished, replaced by utter bafflement. She didn't get even half of what Beast just said. "OK, it's like you're speaking Japanese, and… not speaking Japanese."

"Ah, so I take it that I've failed in dissuading you from engaging in further hostilities?" Beast asked delicately.

"Yeah, something like that," said Jupiter right before she charged. This big, blue biochemist was massive, but Jupiter had dropped bigger. She came at Beast as fast and furiously as she could, yet he easily kept up with her. Ami hadn't been exaggerating about his speed!

"I do regret having to strike a female, but Storm's orders were clear," said Beast regretfully. He blocked a kick coming right for his face then, with a roar, threw a vicious jab. Jupiter effortlessly deflected that, but in a flash, Beast flipped over, planting his other hand against the ground. He twirled around on his hand, planting his bare foot against the side of Jupiter's face, sending her flying back a few meters. Beast charged ahead on all fours, roaring, but Jupiter was already back on her feet, despite feeling a little dizzy and tasting blood. Jupiter grappled him just as he would have bounded onto her, spun around while screaming, and threw him toward a lamppost.

Unfortunately, to Jupiter's astonishment, Beast's feet gripped the lamppost! "Commendable reflexes as well as formidable strength, my dear," said Beast as he whirled around on the lamppost, He grabbed it with his huge hands while flipping around it again, using the momentum built up to launch himself back at Jupiter, curling into a ball!

This time, there was no evading him, and he slammed into Jupiter like a cannonball. The impact knocked Jupiter back toward the building she had looped around. Jupiter willed the bells ringing in her head to fall silent, but it was harder this time around. Thankfully, she recovered just in time to see Beast coming for her again. Jupiter ducked aside, and Beast's fist smashed through solid brick instead. Jupiter's eyes widened. Ami sure hadn't exaggerated about his strength either!

Beast kept pressing, keeping Jupiter on the defensive. Given how agile he was, it taxed Jupiter's skills to the limit, staying ahead of this impossibly speedy, big, blue furball. Jupiter blocked another flurry of punches, then countered with some jabs of her own. One broke through, striking Beast in the face. A punch like that would've floored a normal man, but Beast merely staggered back some. Then he immediately retaliated, doing a somersault backwards, only to bound up towards the wall behind Jupiter. He rebounded off it, aiming to drop kick her with a roar.

But Beast wasn't the only one who could leap like that. Jupiter easily sailed over Beast as he came down. Then, borrowing Beast's trick, she rebounded off the wall, her boot smacking him in the face as she spun in midair. Now that she had him on the defensive, Jupiter pressed her advantage. She came at him with one punch after another. Some got through. Jupiter smiled wickedly as she sank an uppercut right into Beast's breadbasket. She followed up with a roundhouse kick to his face, but suddenly, those big, meaty hands grabbed her leg. Jupiter's eyes widened with terror as Beast glared at her. With a snarl, Beast spun around and lobbed Jupiter at a truck parked alongside the wall. Stars exploded in Jupiter's vision as the truck door gave way to her backside. That would've put a normal girl in the hospital for months, and right now, Jupiter felt she might as well be.

Any second, Beast would advance and pummel her all over again. _His speed, his strength… Mercury wasn't kidding about how her hero's in a whole different weight class,_ Jupiter realized as she pried herself off the truck door. That was when she heard another crack of thunder. Her eyes widened, this time in exasperation rather than fear. What was wrong with her? So what if Beast could match her strength and speed? She still had something Beast couldn't possibly counter. And with all the rain now falling, plus the storm surge from earlier…

"My dear, that will be quite enough of that," said Beast gruffly as he advanced. "This brawling, while you may find it cathartic, gets neither team anywhere. If you would take a moment to listen to reason, you…"

He stopped, possibly sensing she was up to something. Her tiara's antenna was already out, crackling, making the air around them reek of ozone. "Sparkling Wide Pressure!" she cried, lobbing the ball of concentrated power where Beast stood. With a roar, he leapt over her just as it upturned huge chunks of concrete, clinging to the brick wall behind her. Jupiter backflipped away from the truck, then screamed, "Jupiter Oak Evolution!" as she spun. As agile as Beast was, he couldn't dodge so many leaves going every which way. And as tough as he was, a few solid hits were enough to knock him silly, especially while his fur was all wet.

Knocked off his perch along the wall, Beast crashed down onto the truck's hood. Flashing a satisfied smile and cracking her knuckles, Jupiter advanced. Now that a few good jolts of electricity took some of the fight out of the furball, ending this with her bare hands wouldn't be so hard. And hopefully, the other Senshi were keeping the other X-Men busy enough so that she could smash Rogue and Iceman's barricade.

Beast was already getting back up, so Jupiter knew she had to end this now. She grabbed a handful of Beast's hair so she could force feed him a knuckle sandwich. "What's wrong Doc? No flowery phrases?" she taunted as she reared back a fist.

"How about Queen to C5, kicks Knight's big fat ass!?" came a voice. But it sounded muffled, like… it was coming from the other side of the wall. Jupiter's confusion stayed her hand just long enough for someone to tackle her left side hard, knocking her to the ground. Jupiter picked herself back up, seeing who had blindsided her.

"Kitty Pryde?" Jupiter demanded, wondering just how she blindsided her. Her left side had been facing the wall.

"It's Shadowcat to you, Ms. Lightning Rod," snarled Shadowcat. "Didn't I say anyone gunning for Dr. McCoy better watch her back!?" Turning to the truck, Shadowcat said, "Get out of here, Hank. I think I can finish this."

"Oh, can you?" asked Jupiter dubiously. Beast simply nodded, bounding off the truck's hood and barreling back toward the shipyard on all fours. "No you don't! I'm not finished with you!" Jupiter cried, ignoring Shadowcat, aiming to run past her.

That proved a costly mistake. Shadowcat dashed in front of her, stopping Jupiter cold with a palm strike to the side of her jaw. A flurry of punches and kicks followed, along with chops and jabs targeting sensitive areas. This girl knew exactly where to strike, which nerves to zero in on. It wasn't long before Shadowcat stood over Jupiter, who had fallen to one knee. If not for the endurance afforded by her transformation, she would be lying on the ground, drooling. Spitting out some blood, she glared up at Shadowcat. "What was that!? Did the guy who taught you Japanese teach you ninjitsu as well!?" demanded Jupiter.

"Pretty much. Next stupid question," Shadowcat spat back.

Jupiter growled as she rose again. Getting chucked around by that monstrous furball was one thing, but this little girl would _NOT_ best her so easily! She came at Shadowcat fast and hard, who could barely duck around her bone-crushing punches. At last, one struck, though Shadowcat was able to roll with it. Jupiter threw another jab, but Shadowcat deflected it and launched a hook that made Jupiter stagger back. It wasn't powerful enough to disorient her for long, so when Shadowcat tried a roundhouse kick, Jupiter grabbed her ankle, then hurled her at the building.

Shadowcat slid across the ground, stopping only when she slammed into the brick wall. Even without the benefit of a Senshi's endurance, she was back on her feet in a second, in a ready stance. "Just what does it take to put you mutants down for the count!?" Jupiter shrieked as she charged, aiming to smash Shadowcat up against the wall.

Instead, Jupiter found herself going right through Shadowcat, and wound up being the one smacking the wall hard!

"W-W-What in… H-H-How did I just…" Jupiter got out, rubbing her aching head. Shadowcat didn't answer. Instead, Jupiter felt Shadowcat grab her by her shoulders. Then she pulled them toward the wall. Jupiter's eyes widened in astonishment again as Shadowcat went right through the wall, pulling her along! But when Jupiter was halfway through, she felt Shadowcat let go. Then she reappeared, walking back through it, smirking at Jupiter. Jupiter tried to move, but found herself hopelessly trapped inside the wall. Her forearms, the upper half of her torso and one knee were sticking out of the brick wall, her hands and head pretty much the only things she could move. "Checkmate. Again," was all Shadowcat said, still smirking.

For a moment, Jupiter was utterly speechless. How could she let herself get trapped like _THIS_!? "Oh _**COME ON**_!" she implored vehemently. Shadowcat's insufferable grin just became even wider, then she ran back toward the shipyard.

Fuming, Jupiter struggled some more, but the solid brick simply wouldn't yield. It took thunder rumbling overhead to once again remind her of the perfect way out. Of course, this time, there would be a tradeoff.

Her antenna extended again, crackling once more. Jupiter grit her teeth, mentally bracing herself for what was to come, and then… "Supreme Thunder!" Calling down a bolt of lightning from the storm clouds overhead, it zeroed in on the wall, smashing it apart. Unfortunately, Jupiter had to tank a good deal of it. Though she broke free of the wall, she crumpled to the ground, her face and fuku stained black in places with soot smears. "Yeah, you better run, little kitty," Jupiter muttered weakly, coughing up smoke.

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Sailor Mercury had made a point of warning the other Senshi that Storm's power was nothing to scoff at. Just like with saying her anti-Eclipse weapon was no guarantee, Mercury hated being right. Still, Mercury hadn't quite expected Storm to use her powers in such a devastating way, catching them all unawares. In the blink of an eye, Storm had the Sailor Senshi separated and confused. Her aim no doubt was no buy Cable time, and so far, Mercury had to admit, Storm's ploy was working beautifully. To the point where Rogue and Iceman set up additional barriers around the two mutants.

After Storm's winds scattered all of them, Mercury fell back across the shipyard. So far, she had been unable to raise any of the other Senshi. Either Storm's constant discharges of lightning were disrupting her equipment, the X-Men had engaged the other Senshi, or both. Gritting her teeth, Mercury knelt and peered out from behind a cargo truck, scanning the X-Men's barricade with her visor. The containers Rogue upturned and arranged were bad enough, but Iceman made that ice ridiculously compact and thick. _I don't think even I could whip up ice structures that resilient, that fast,_ Mercury mused, unable to stop a twinge of envy. Mercury doubted she had enough power on her own to punch through all that. Her only consolation was that her visor was also picking up copious amounts of mental energy being expelled within that barrier. That meant Cable had yet to pry Eclipse free. Perhaps, if she could get atop the barrier, send ice attacks down into it while Cable was occupied…

The wind howled again, sending fine mist spraying past the truck Mercury hid behind, as if to warn her, threaten her. Instead, it stiffened Mercury's resolve. There was no time to plan, just take action. Clenching her fist, Mercury peered out from behind cover again to scan the area. She at last needed some idea where the rest of the X-Men could be. She still dreaded the idea of going up against Dr. McCoy. _Erina Kizachi however… I don't think I'll shed any tears if she doesn't live past tonight,_ Mercury thought vindictively. The terror from being a Sentinel's prey… No one should have to go through that. Why were the X-Men so intent on protecting her!?

Thankfully, while her scans showed Sailor Uranus and Tuxedo Kamen both engaging an X-Man, there was no sign of anyone else. If her friends could keep those mutants occupied, she just might have a clear path to that barricade. Mercury finally rose, ready to bolt.

That was when she found her scans missed a mutant approaching her flank. All of a sudden, the truck serving as her cover was hoisted up. Mercury turned around, eyes widening as she saw a towering man of metal lifting the truck over his head! Colossus! The one who gave Sailor Neptune a serious run for her money!

He stared down at Mercury, his expression unreadable. None of the X-Men seemed eager for a fight before, but the instant Neptune made her move, the X-Men struck back swiftly. Mercury hadn't wanted a fight either, but there was little choice now.

"Shine Aqua Illusion!" Mercury cried, striking Colossus with a column of freezing water. It wouldn't do any permanent damage to someone with metal armor for skin, but it would buy her a little time to move in on Cable. The X-Man was instantly coated with thick ice while still holding the truck overhead. Unable to balance it, it toppled onto and off of him, landing a little ways past her. Smiling to herself, Mercury bolted to run around it.

And stopped cold when she heard her icy prison crack apart, mere seconds after generating it. Mercury turned around to see where Colossus went, but her gaze snapped back forward when she heard his heavy footfalls up ahead. An instant later, Colossus planted his hand on the overturned truck, jumping over it to land right before her. Such swiftness despite all that bulk… No wonder Neptune couldn't get around him!

"This foolishness must cease, little one," said Colossus as Mercury backed up fearfully. Her visor was still up, feeding her more data. Mercury gasped at what was revealed. It wasn't just his skin… His entire body transmuted itself into living metal! "The X-Men have no wish to fight the Sailor Senshi, but neither can we permit any harm to come to Eclipse," said Colossus as he advanced slowly, forcing Mercury back to where more trucks were parked. "The other Senshi who commands water… She was unwilling to listen to reason, but I sense it may be different with you."

Colossus was right, up to a point. A fight with the X-Men was the last thing Mercury wanted tonight. But if that's what it took to get to Eclipse, there was no other way. So Mercury stood her ground, a watery warp forming in her hands. "Sorry Colossus, but after all she's done, after sending a Sentinel after us…" Colossus lunged forward, again moving with shocking swiftness. Mercury could barely get out, "Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" Each tendril of icy water slammed into Colossus hard and forced him back, but as Mercury feared, she lacked the raw power to truly damage his armored form.

Grunting, Colossus trudged forward again, now knocking away her blasts of freezing water. In a few moments, he would be upon her, and Mercury doubted her transformation would protect her from raw strength like his. "Enough, Sailor Mercury!" Colossus roared as she swatted away another tendril. "No one understands what it's like to face Sentinels time and again like us, but still, you must realize…"

A loud cry from behind Colossus interrupted him. "You got him right where I want him, Mercury! Mars Flame Sniper!" Colossus turned around in time to see a flaming arrow coming right for him. It struck him square in the face, and he dropped to one knee, grunting. Mars leapfrogged over him, putting herself between Colossus and Mercury. When Colossus stood again to glare at the Senshi, Mars brought her hands together and cried, "Fire Soul!"

A continuous stream of roaring flame sprayed from Mars's joined fingertips, and this was enough to keep Colossus at bay. Mercury took the time to scan him. The data indicated even this attack would take too long to truly damage him, by melting his armored form or whatnot, but at least Colossus couldn't advance any further. In fact, the pulsating heat was so intense, Colossus once again dropped to one knee.

"Like I said, right where we want him!" Mars cried triumphantly. Mercury breathed a sigh of relief. At least _SOMETHING_ could stop this mass of metal muscle cold. "OK Mercury, when I drop my flames, let him have it!"

Relief turned to horror. "W-W-W-What did you say?" stammered Mercury.

"Come on, you're not the only one who pays attention in physics class," said Mars as she kept pumping out flames. "While I've got him white-hot like this, a dousing with freezing water will crack open that armor he's conjured around himself."

"Mars, you don't get it!" Mercury cried it on horror. "He's not a Sentinel, and it's not some covering… His entire body becomes some sort of organic steel! If I subject him to thermal shock, I'll probably kill him!"

"Listen to the little lady, Hot Stuff," came a voice from overhead. Both Senshi looked up to see one of those 'ice slides' coming up over the line of trucks. Javelins of ice rained down. Mars turned her flames upwards; fortunately, Colossus was in too much pain to immediately charge. Many of the javelins were vaporized, along with part of the ice slide. Still, enough got through to force Mars and Mercury to jump back. Meanwhile, Iceman dropped down in between them and Colossus. "Damn Peter, did Sunfire go and start a family without telling us? This girl's definitely enough of a hothead to be his daughter," snapped Iceman. His body seemed to be radiating a thick mist, almost like her Shabon Spray attack. Mercury wondered what his aim was, but a few moments later, Colossus rose, steam billowing off his armored body. Iceman was cooling Colossus's body off gradually. "The big guy's been through that whole thermal shock thing before," said Iceman, seeing what Mercury was staring at. "And he sure doesn't need a repeat performance."

"Many thanks, Robert," Colossus said gruffly, staring at the two Senshi. Now, his head and arms only glowed red hot. Soon enough, Iceman would have him sufficiently cooled down. Mercury glared at Iceman, still a little envious of how he could do things with ice she could only dream of. Her scans also confirmed her suspicions: just as Colossus turned entirely into living metal, Iceman became a being purely composed of living ice! Even if Mars turned her flames on him, disintegrated him into vapor, Mercury suspected he could just put himself back together!

"Well, it's two-on-two now," muttered Mars, her bravado from earlier gone. "You got a tactical assessment for us?"

"Yeah. We are royally screwed," grumbled Mercury as Iceman gathered power to strike. Mars used Fire Soul again to force back his icy power, just as Colossus finally charged again. "And my suspicions have been confirmed," Mercury added darkly.

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Venus ran across the top of a cargo container, then jumped over onto another stack. Storm had done a marvelous job, separating all of the Senshi and forcing them back before they had any idea what hit them. Now they were all scrambling before any of the X-Men found them.

Looking down to her right as she kept running, Venus's hopes of finding anyone to help rush at that barricade faded. Tuxedo Kamen was pinned down by Gambit, using roses to detonate his cards before they could reach him. Over to her left, she saw Sailor Uranus body slam Wolverine to the ground. Strangely, Wolverine didn't have his claws out. Just as well, since it looked like Uranus lost her sword. Still, even without those claws out, taking on Wolverine up close and personal was a risky proposition, as he soon proved. He elbowed Uranus hard in the face just as was slammed down against the concrete, hard enough to make her stagger off of him. A boot swinging into the side of her face then had Uranus reeling.

Still, from her vantage point, Venus realized she could pick both Gambit and Wolverine off. Or at least, help Tuxedo Kamen and Uranus get away, and then they all smash through that barricade together. Cable couldn't fight them all off with telepathy and focus on Eclipse at the same time. Coming to a halt at the container's edge, Venus pointed at Wolverine, praying he'd stay still long enough. "Crescent B…"

A sudden roar of wind, and flaky snow fluttering past her, made Venus look back up. The sky all around them was still a pulsating mass of grey and black, clouds swirling as the shipyard was battered with the fury of a tropical storm. Still, Venus could still make out a particular black shape against the backdrop of all those roiling clouds, coming in fast. And then it crackled with lightning…

"Maybe running atop the containers wasn't such a hot idea," Venus grumbled to herself as she turned and ran back. She could feel the fury of a blizzard at her back, covering the containers beneath her with rime. Then, finally, a bolt of lightning struck the stack, an instant after Venus bounded off of it.

"Sailor Venus, I don't want to harm you, but you must let us deal with Eclipse!" came Storm's pleading voice over the roar of her winds. "That was a warning shot, Venus. This must end! Things are not as they appear. The Sailor Senshi have it all wrong!"

"What, because we're not mutants, we can't figure it out!?" spat Venus, incensed. She worked with Interpol. Investigations like this were not foreign territory for her. Did the X-Men think they were dealing with amateurs here!? Venus's fingertips went to her lips. "Venus Love and Beauty Shock!" she cried, twisting around while running to fire her attack at Storm. Venus had guessed just where she'd be, and how close she'd get. But Storm deftly flew aside, and her attack sailed over the shipyard. The X-Men certainly weren't amateurs either. Storm was swifter in the air than Venus gave her credit for.

Another flurry rushed across the shipyard, carrying piercing hail with it, forcing Venus to make another jump. She landed on the crate suspended from a crane, the one Chibi-Moon made her shot from. Another jump carried her up to the tip of the crane. Venus watched as Storm looped around the crane, lightning still arcing all over her. _She really DOES have Ami, Haruka and Makoto's powers all rolled into one,_ Venus admitted to herself. _But she doesn't have a Senshi's endurance. All I need to do is clip her once._ With that, Venus aimed and cried, "Crescent Beam Shower!"

Multiple beams of light lanced out at Storm, but again, she proved hard to take down while in the air. Years of practice let her ride on the winds with ridiculous ease. Still, with the number of beams coming at her all at once, one managed to graze her thigh. Storm screamed, faltering, almost going into a tailspin as she fell toward the crane, but she quickly corrected herself and rode higher on the winds. That was when there were bursts of light coming from the clouds overhead.

One look in Storm's solid, white eyes told Venus what was coming. "Uh-oh," Venus muttered meekly. Storm spread her arms, and lightning bolts came down from the clouds toward the crane. In desperation, Venus cried, "Crescent Beam!" Her attack clashed with the lightning bolts, forcing them back for the moment. Still, the sheer power Storm could call down from the heavens… Venus grit her teeth as she felt the lightning bolts pushing back against her beam, as if it was a physical thing. Storm really could pump out as much amperage as Jupiter, and then some!

Realizing she wasn't going to win in a duel of raw power against Storm, Venus racked her brains for another idea, which wasn't easy with those lightning bolts raining down in front of her. She looked down at the crane she was perched on. _All that metal would conduct electricity, but my chain isn't as conductive,_ Venus mused. Looking back, seeing how close to the crane Storm was, Venus made her move. Cutting off her beam, she leaped backwards off the crane, letting the lightning bolts fry it. "Venus Love-Me Chain!" she cried, and her conjured chain lashed out and snagged the crane. As she hoped, hardly any electricity traveled down it, and her enhanced endurance let her withstand what did. She swung under and around the crane, and when she came up the other side, Storm was still there. "Gotcha!" Venus cried, slamming into the X-Men's leader and wrapping her legs around her.

Venus veered their trajectory so that she could slam Storm into the crane's side door. The side of Storm's head smacked against the glass so hard it cracked. That was no guarantee Storm was out cold. Grabbing a handful of her long, white hair, Venus pulled her back to slam it into the glass again. An elbow driving itself hard into Venus's nose put that on hold. It came so suddenly, Venus relinquished her hold on Storm's hair, letting her twist around to drive a fist into Venus's gut, then follow up with a upward palm strike to her chin, both blows accompanied by a surge of electricity.

Disoriented, Venus lost her balance. She tumbled backward off the crane, hitting the concrete hard after falling several meters. Storm jumped off, floating down gently on her winds, landing only a few meters away. "Enough, child," Storm said resolutely, striding a little closer. Venus slowly staggered back up to meet her gaze. Even after almost cracking her skull and that gash caused by her beam, it hardly seemed to drain Storm. She was tougher than Venus gave her credit for. No wonder she led the X-Men. "I understand your desire to stop these new Sentinels, but this isn't the way to do it. Killing Eclipse will do nothing, because…"

Venus came at her with a jump kick, but Storm crossed her forearms to block it. She came back at Venus with a spinning kick which Venus barely managed to block in time, then followed up with a straight chop. Venus felt Storm's hand rush past her head just as she tilted it aside. Hand-to-hand, attacking from a distance… There were just no good options when dealing with Storm. Venus came back at her, fast and furious, but Storm still managed to keep up. _Maybe, as long as I keep her occupied on the ground, one of the other Senshi can slip by,_ Venus reasoned as she pressed on. She risked a glance over at the barricade protecting Cable and Eclipse, hoping at least one Senshi saw the opportunity.

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Chibi-Moon ran from one container stack to another, hoping her small size and constant use of cover would let her slip by. Luna, Artemis and Luna-P tagged along right behind her. Looking up, Chibi-Moon still saw the storm clouds rushing overhead. The seas still churned, and powerful winds carried mist that sprayed everywhere. But for the moment, it looked like Storm herself wasn't patrolling the skies around the barricade. That was a relief. She was arguably the most powerful of all the X-Men, and perhaps the most dangerous. Still, despite studying the X-Men during history lessons, it was beyond belief how their collective power was more than enough to turn back all of the Sailor Senshi. Hadn't the Sailor Senshi faced teams of bad guys much tougher than these mutants? What was going on?

Luna echoed her sentiments. "How can this be happening!?" the cat grumbled. "There's eight Senshi, eight of them watching over the barricade… Even odds, and none have even gotten close! We're the Sailor Senshi, protectors of this world and its solar system, but we're getting beat back by a bunch of mutants!?"

"If only Sailor Moon was here to turn the tide," said Artemis. "What's keeping her!? Why won't she answer us!?"

"Forget my idiot future mother. It's up to us," spat Chibi-Moon. "And I don't see Storm, or the other lady who flies. I'm going for it." Granted, she didn't have anything to smash through the X-Men's barricade, but she'd cross that bridge when she came to it.

If she was even allowed to approach it. Chibi-Moon had her back pressed against a container, peering around the corner. The cats were watching her back, so Chibi-Moon was confident no one could sneak up on her. But suddenly, the cats shrieked. Whirling back around, Chibi-Moon saw one of the X-Men leaning against the container, arms folded, only a few meters from them!

"R-R-R-Right through the… D-D-Did she just…" spluttered Luna.

"Yes, she did," said Artemis flatly. "Venus and I read about this one, and we saw how she got Wolverine in here. She's called the Shadowcat."

"Hmmm, so Remy and Peter weren't kidding about talking cats. Whatevs," said Shadowcat nonchalantly, solely focused on Chibi-Moon. "Wow, I thought I was young when I got recruited into the X-Men, but you, kiddo… Seriously, are you a reserve member of Power Pack or something? I mean, there might've been more children who got powers from horses from outer space, after all."

Chibi-Moon stared back at Shadowcat quizzically. What was she talking about? "Well, uhhh, for the last few months, I was kinda working with someone from a dream dimension who took the form of a pegasus."

That didn't faze Shadowcat in the least. Shrugging her shoulders, she said, "OK then."

"What? You believe me!? And you're not weirded out by talking cats!?" Chibi-Moon demanded incredulously.

"Alternate dimensions, mystical beings… Oh, later on, I bet we'd have all sorts of fun swapping stories," Shadowcat said airily. Then, she stopped leaning against the container and stood up straight. "But for now, I can't let you go any further. You've got to give Cable time to…"

"I don't think so!" spat Chibi-Moon, whipping out her Crystal Carillon. "Pink Sugar Heart Attack!" The heart-shaped crystal fixed to the bell glowed, but no attack issued forth.

Shadowcat stared at her weapon dubiously, her expression blank. "Uhhh, is that thing busted?" she asked delicately as Chibi-Moon grimaced in embarrassment. "You know, if it's mechanical and it does that a lot, when this is over, I dunno, I could…" Suddenly, a flurry of pink hearts shot out, smacking painfully into the young X-Man. "Owww! Ouch! Owww! Hey, cut it out!" spat Shadowcat irritably, shielding herself with her arms. "C'mon, enough of that! Seriously!"

"Oh, you like that, huh?" said Chibi-Moon with a smirk, halting her attack momentarily. "Well, have some more!" Chibi-Moon sent out another wave of hearts, but this time, they passed _RIGHT THROUGH_ Shadowcat! Chibi-Moon's expression went from one of cockiness to wide-eyed terror. "AHHHHH! YOU'RE A GHOST!" she shrieked.

"Yeah, I get that a lot," Shadowcat said dismissively as she advanced. Chibi-Moon kept up her assault, but all her hearts kept going right through the X-Man.

"That's her mutant power! She can go through solid matter, or let attacks pass through her!" cried Artemis. "You'll have to think of something else!"

It was hard to think straight with a ghostly girl in a creepy black bodysuit marching right toward you. Chibi-Moon backed up nervously, looking around for something, ANYTHING, that could help. Right beside her, Luna-P was still hovering. It was her only hope. Grabbing it, she bounced it off the ground and shouted the first thing that popped in her head. "Luna-P, I need a flamethrower!"

There was a puff of smoke, and a flamethrower unit just right for Chibi-Moon's size fell into her arms. Now Shadowcat's eyes widened in shock. "Are you _KIDDING ME_!?" Ignoring her, Chibi-Moon quickly slung the fuel tank behind her back, aimed, and pulled the trigger.

"Time to turn up the heat, little kitty!" Chibi-Moon shrieked as she sprayed fire all over the place. Storm's light rain and misty winds did nothing to douse the fire.

"Yow! Aim for _THAT_ cat, not the cats on your side!" spat Luna as she and Artemis dove behind Chibi-Moon.

"A flamethrower? REALLY!?" demanded Artemis, nursing a slightly singed tail.

"You come up with something better with a ghost-mutant coming at you!" Chibi-Moon shot back, staring into the roaring flames she sprayed all over the place. "It worked, didn't it? She backed off."

But just as Chibi-Moon let herself believe she was in the clear, she heard a weird slurping sound right behind her. Looking over her shoulder, Chibi-Moon's jaw dropped. Shadowcat was rising up from the shipyard floor! She whirled around to aim her flamethrower, but Shadowcat spun and launched a kick. Chibi-Moon winced, but Shadowcat's leg passed through her. "Why did… w-w-w-what…" Chibi-Moon began, but all of a sudden, sparks flew from her flamethrower. An instant later, it reverted back into Luna-P, rolling impotently until it came to a stop against the container, energy arcing over it. "AHHHHH! Luna-P!" Chibi-Moon cried out, reaching for it, but Shadowcat grabbed her from behind. Luna and Artemis dove at Shadowcat, but she momentarily phased both herself and Chibi-Moon, and the cats sailed right through them.

"Playing with fire, kiddo!? Naughty, naughty," Shadowcat snarled in Chibi-Moon's ear as she struggled. "This has gone on long enough. You Senshi got to realize Eclipse…"

"No, no, NO! Shut up, you creepy S&M ghost lady! Let me go! Let me GO!" Chibi-Moon wailed. She kept crying, writhing in Shadowcat's grip, until something clicked on. Her odango covers, they began amplifying her crying, sending out supersonic waves that made the concrete crack and the cargo containers vibrate, but Shadowcat took the full force of their power.

"What in… AHHHH!" Shadowcat shrieked as the world no doubt spun around her. "It's like Siryn's doing karaoke with death metal!" Right before she slumped down, barely conscious, she slammed Chibi-Moon's face into the side of the container, and both of them limply fell onto the shipyard floor.

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Slowly, gingerly, Luna picked herself up off the shipyard floor, her ears still ringing from Chibi-Moon's amplified outburst. The misty spray did little to further rouse her. Still, she had been luckier than Shadowcat, who was right at the epicenter when Chibi-Moon let loose with those supersonic waves. Now that her vision was coming back into focus, Luna saw Shadowcat was barely conscious, groaning in agony. Chibi-Moon didn't look much better, though, leaning against the cargo container with a dazed look in her eyes.

But then, it looked like Shadowcat was about to pick herself back up. They had to strike, before any more harm came to Chibi-Moon

Artemis was alert again as well, and realized the same thing. "C'mon, Luna, let's show her what a real cat's all about!" he snarled, dashing toward the downed X-Man. Luna followed him, eager to sink her claws into Shadowcat's face. All of a sudden, there was a howl from above. It didn't sound like one of the X-Men. It didn't even sound human. Looking up, Luna saw nothing against the stormy, bleak sky, at least not at first. But then, she noticed a purplish-pink dot, and it was closing fast. By the time the cats bridged the distance between them and Shadowcat, that freakish something dropped down right between them. This ugly, scaly, winged thing with two horns jutting from the back of his head and a long snout, about their size. It snarled wordlessly at the cats, snapping its jaws, daring them to come any closer. Luna and Artemis backed up a little, but hissed back, reluctant to retreat. That changed when the hideous little thing breathed fire at them!

"You gotta be… They've got a DRAGON!? The X-Men have a DRAGON!?" Artemis cried incredulously as they ran to avoid getting their fur charbroiled.

"It's bonded to this particular X-Man, evidently," said Luna as she tried to circle around. But that little dragon watched Luna closely, still snarling as it stood watch over its mistress.

"They… have a dragon…" Artemis muttered.

"At least it looks like Shadowcat's not exactly ready to renew battle," said Luna, noting how groggy Shadowcat still looked. "Unfortunately, Chibi-Moon's not in much better shape."

"You're still missing the point," spat Artemis. "They. Have. AN. EFFING. DRAGON!"

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Sensing impending danger based on how turbulent the seas were, listening to their whispers… Sometimes it steadied Sailor Neptune's nerves, knowing she often had forewarning of danger. Other times it seemed a curse, threatening to fuel helplessness. But at the moment, it was all a mess, thanks to Storm. The swirling seas, churning due to the cyclone she whipped up to separate the Senshi, told her nothing, and threatened to muddy her senses. It warned of danger all around her, nothing more, as if that wasn't obvious already. Neptune wondered if Uranus was having the same problem, given the turbulent winds. Misty spray rushed past Neptune as she ducked around the corner of a small building. From the looks of it, it housed equipment for maintenance workers, but at the moment Neptune failed to see how that helped her.

At the moment, she had to rely more on her talisman. Gazing into her mirror, she still caught occasional flickers of Eclipse's dreadful, dark power. Still situated within the X-Men's improvised barrier. One blast from her mirror could punch through it, but there was still Cable to deal with, not to mention whichever X-Men were sticking close. Neptune scowled as she caught another flicker indicating Eclipse was still pumping out dark energy. The X-Men had her, the one building new Sentinels that would hunt down their kind, after they were done with the Sailor Senshi! Why were they fighting so hard to keep her alive!? Knowing nothing of the Dark Kingdom's murderous legacy was no excuse. Both their teams were in danger so long as Erina Kizachi was around! One way or another, she had to be dealt with.

A sudden sense of… wrongness, despite the turbulent seas distracting her, snapped Neptune back to attention. She could still tell whether something not of this world was nearby, and it was coming fast. Neptune knelt down, hoping the shadows could hide the white of her fuku. Apparently, it worked. Neptune caught a glimpse of Rogue flying overhead, scouting the area, but her gaze slid right over her. Even better, it looked like Storm wasn't in the air keeping watch with her. A quick glance at her mirror told Neptune that the X-Men's leader was nowhere around the barricade. So if she could take down Rogue, the other Senshi would have an easier time plowing through it.

 _But how!? If she's got strength like Colossus's, that means she's probably as impervious to harm as he is,_ Neptune realized. _Then again, Submarine Reflection hurt Colossus, and Rogue doesn't have steel skin. Hmmm…_ She looked at the building she was using for cover, and a possibility came to her. Double-checking to make sure Rogue wasn't too close, Neptune ran around the corner and slammed her shoulder into the front door. The lock instantly gave way, and Neptune ducked inside.

Moments later, Neptune ran back out, sensing Rogue was close again. Indeed, she was circling overhead once more. Wasting no time, she collected conjured seawater. "Deep Submerge!" she roared, hurling her attack up at the flying mutant.

"What in… URRKK!" Rogue cried before the energized water swallowed her voice, reducing it to a pitiful gargle. As expected, it wasn't much more effective on her than it was on Colossus. Yet, when the attack dissipated, Rogue dropped like a rock. It took a few moments for Rogue to pick herself back up, and Neptune allowed her the time. It was all part of her plan…

Looking around, Rogue spotted Neptune standing a good distance away, so that Rogue was in between her and the barricade protecting Eclipse. "Seriously, sugar?" spat Rogue. "Bad enough your partner keeps gettin' a hate-on for a certain Cajun. You that eager to start a feud o' your own?"

"I am a creature of habit," said Neptune simply. "The Outer Senshi are charged with neutralizing threats from outside this solar system. And there's definitely something about you not of this world. Just what is it?"

"Long story, sugar. And a personal one," said Rogue tersely. "Besides, do forgive my bluntness, but it seems you ain't really the listenin' type."

"Quite right," said Neptune, aiming her mirror. "Submarine Reflection!"

As Neptune expected, Rogue handled this attack quite differently than Colossus did. Whereas Colossus fought smarter, using his surprising speed to evade and confuse her, Rogue was more prone to matching power with power. Rogue stood her ground, blocking her blast with her hands, trying to push it back as she slowly trudged forward. It was exactly what Neptune was hoping for.

 _Go on, waste your energy. Tire yourself out,_ Neptune thought, flashing a devilish smile. Rogue couldn't see it, but she could probably see her slightly backing up, as if suddenly nervous. Fuel her arrogance further, make Rogue think she was getting the upper hand.

Slowly but surely, Rogue advanced, pushing against Neptune's attack. Seven meters, six… By the time she finally reached her, Rogue would hopefully expend a good deal of energy, but also let her guard down. Whether the latter happened or not, Neptune had a surprise regardless.

When Rogue was within a meter of Neptune, she disengaged her attack and sagged to one knee, acting as if she was exhausted herself. To Neptune's elation, Rogue fell for her ploy. Rogue grabbed her by the front bow of her fuku and hoisted her off her feet. "Out o' gas already, hun? I was figurin' if you were dead-set on startin' a scrap, you'd a least go the distance."

"You figured right," said Neptune with a smirk. With her free hand, Neptune reached behind her back. There, tucked behind the bow on her back, was a can of spray paint. "Time for my most satisfying painting ever!" Neptune cried as navy blue paint sprayed into Rogue's eyes.

"AAAACK! You little witch!" Rogue shrieked, dropping Neptune as her hands reflexively flew to her eyes.

"You flatter me," jeered Neptune as she raised her mirror again. "Submarine Reflection!"

This time, there was no letting Rogue counter her blast. She was swept up by it, rocketing right for the barricade. Ice smashed apart, chunks of it flying everywhere, and a cargo container buckled and toppled over.

"Finally!" Neptune cried triumphantly as she bolted toward the opening. With any luck, Cable would be too surprised to offer much resistance, and Rogue, now blinded, would be far less dangerous. Neptune jumped over the toppled container, mirror at the ready, aiming to blast Eclipse into oblivion the second she saw her cocoon.

However, at the apex of her jump, Neptune found herself frozen in midair. She fearfully looked down to see Cable glaring up at her while kneeling beside the cocoon, his left eye glowing. "Commendable strategy, Michiru. If I wasn't keeping all the X-Men linked telepathically, it might have worked. Rogue?"

With a howl, Rogue rose from her barricade's wreckage, then flew right at Neptune, tackling her. Thanks to Cable, apparently she didn't need to see. Her trajectory carried them back to the building where Neptune found spray paint, slamming her against the wall. Rogue kept Neptune pinned against it by grabbing her arms, right above her gloves. She looked winded, battered, but far from beaten. "Alright, I admit it, I underestimated you once," Rogue snarled, close enough for Neptune to smell her breath. "Now I ain't gonna give you another chance to… Huh!?"

Neptune wondered why Rogue was fearful all of a sudden, but then, she felt an odd sensation. She suddenly felt weaker, as if her vitality was being drained away. If Rogue was the reason, she didn't look too pleased about it. In fact, she looked downright terrified. "AHHH! Your mirror laser thingie ripped open my gloves, and I'm touchin' bare skin! Look what you made me do!" Rogue cried, her shaky voice filled with horror. Whatever was going on, it was getting worse. Energy washed over and into Rogue… Energy from her own Star Seed, sucked right out of her! Worse still, Rogue seemed unable to release her hold, her shock and confusion making her freeze up. Rogue threw her head back and screamed, leaving Neptune helpless in her grip as she inadvertently kept draining her power away, her very life…

 _So THIS is her power. That's how she got those claws from Wolverine, and her other powers must've come from an alien source!_ Neptune reasoned, even as she felt consciousness slip away. _But this power is unlike any Rogue's dealt with before. She has no idea how to handle it!_

Eventually, Rogue let go, and Neptune dropped lifelessly to the ground. Rogue stumbled back, clutching her head, and toppled over. She writhed on the shipyard floor, watery energy swirling around her, having no idea how to cope with power drained from a Star Seed. As for herself, Neptune found coping with such a power drain wasn't easy. She felt exhausted, more exhausted than she could ever recall. Neptune spotted her mirror lying about a meter away. Neptune tried crawling toward it, reaching out. That was when she saw her glove was disintegrating into swirling, pink ribbons! Rogue drained so much power, she couldn't even maintain her Senshi transformation! Neptune plopped down, exhaustion finally getting the better of her, surrendering to the inevitable.

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Wolverine stood in between Uranus and the barricade in the distance, as fresh as ever for a fight, and he looked even more elated over it than Gambit had! This was ridiculous… Uranus felt battered and bruised all over, while Wolverine's power ensured he'd feel no lasting effects from their brawl! The only way Uranus figured she could stop Wolverine was to get her Space Sword and lop off his head. Assuming her sword could even cut through the strange metal that surely covered his bones, that is. But that wasn't an option. Erina Kizachi was the only mutant here who deserved to die. _Besides, if I killed any of these X-Men, Odango would never forgive me,_ Uranus realized.

But _SOMETHING_ was telling her that Neptune was in deep, deep trouble, and Uranus found her reluctance to kill ebbing. If Neptune was harmed, there would be hell to pay, no matter what their princess wanted. Also, when Uranus looked past Wolverine at the barricade… _One of us must've gotten through!_ she thought with elation. _There's a gap in the barricade. One of the Senshi made an opening!_ The time to strike was now.

Uranus risked furtive glances around. There, a few meters away, was her bloodied sword. "World Shaking!" she cried, sending her attack Wolverine's way. As expected, he dodged it, but Uranus used that opening to scramble for her sword. She scooped it up, never stopping her run, and spotted Tuxedo Kamen and Gambit, still near the water's edge. "Space Sword Blaster!" shrieked Uranus, still running. Gambit threw cards he already charged up, intercepting her attack, but Tuxedo Kamen used his opening. His cane extended several more meters, and tripped up Gambit's legs, making him topple over into the drink. "Tuxedo Kamen, the barricade's been breached! We have to move _NOW_!"

Getting the hint, Tuxedo Kamen nodded, pulling out some roses. Wolverine was hot on Uranus's tail. Uranus looked back to see Wolverine slash apart the thrown roses with his claws, barely slowing down. "Cut through this… Venus Love-Me Chain!" came Venus's resounding cry. Suddenly, Wolverine was bound up in a golden chain, and toppled with a snarl. Venus ran past the downed X-Man, toward Uranus and Tuxedo Kamen. "Keep moving! That won't hold him either, and Storm'll be hot on my tail again any second!"

Uranus nodded, and soon Venus caught up with her and Tuxedo Kamen. They ducked and weaved around stacks of containers, all the while occasionally glancing back to see if Storm was pursuing yet. As they came around one stack, Mercury and Mars ran out from the other side, launching attacks back the way they came. "Burning Mandala!" shrieked Mars, sending blazing discs back at enemies Uranus couldn't yet see. When they rounded the corner and joined them, Uranus saw one knocked Iceman off his slide, while Colossus, swift as he was, couldn't dodge all the ones coming his way. One slammed into him hard, and he toppled over with a howl.

"Shabon Spray Freezing!" Mercury cried, spraying icy mist back the way they came. With any luck, it would serve to buy them all a few more seconds. "Hurry, hurry! That cover won't last long with this weather, and Storm may be here soon!" Mercury pleaded.

"So, you got to tangle with the tin man this time," Uranus said with a smirk. "I trust he didn't rough you up too much?"

"Not… too much," Mercury repeated uneasily, now nursing her side.

"Well, there's five of us now, and five of the X-Men have yet to catch up," Tuxedo Kamen pointed out as they bolted toward the breached barricade. "That may put the odds in our favor, if we move fast."

The odds soon improved again. Chibi-Moon ran up to watch their right flank, the cats hot on her heels. "Keep moving, guys. Let's get away from the ghost girl!"

"Ugh, you tangled with that cocky little kitty too!?" came Jupiter's voice suddenly. Uranus turned to see her running up to cover their left flank. She was covered in soot, looked winded, but her face betrayed a single-minded desire to throw down again. The barricade was only a few dozen meters away, and they were closing fast. Jupiter would surely get what she wanted soon. Cable was probably still watching over Eclipse, and up to three other X-Men would be standing in their way.

"Well, that's all of us, save for Neptune," Artemis pointed out. "Uranus, got any idea where she might be? Is she alright?"

Artemis's query was soon answered in a most sobering manner. They all heard the cry of, "Deep Submerge!" Yet the voice wasn't Sailor Neptune's! The ball of energized seawater barreled right toward the Senshi, forcing them all to scatter. Uranus had to hit the deck. When she looked back up, she saw Rogue calmly walking over to stand between them and the barricade's opening. She clutched the Deep Aqua Mirror in one hand, and with her other arm, she held someone slung over her shoulder. Uranus's eyes widened in shock and rage as she stood, seeing who it was. Michiru was unconscious, held by the X-Man, her transformation undone. Then Uranus noticed something else wrong. That white blotch of hair… Now it was turquoise, the same color as Michiru's! Somehow, this X-Man could copy the abilities of others, or outright steal them!

All rational thought fled Uranus. It didn't matter if Rogue soundly bested her before, that she now had the powers of Sailor Neptune at her disposal. She would _PAY DEARLY_ for this affront! With a howl of fury, Uranus prepared to charge.

"This has gone on long enough, ladies," said Rogue calmly. Before Uranus or any of the other Senshi could make a move, Rogue raised Michiru's mirror and shouted, "Submarine Reflection!" Rogue angled the blast at the ground, making a sweeping motion with the mirror to coax the Senshi into falling back, buying time for the other X-Men to catch up.

By the time the dust cleared and Rogue halted her attack, two of them had joined Rogue. Shadowcat was rising next to her, some weird purple animal on her shoulder, and Beast leaped over to her side. "Oh Rogue, you didn't!" Shadowcat began, a disappointed look on her face.

"Not by choice, Kitty," said Rogue quickly. "And it ain't anything I wanna try again. A Sailor Senshi's power ain't like any magic I've absorbed before."

"As unfortunate as this turn of events may be, is there any chance you've managed to ascertain the other Sailor Senshi's true motives?" Beast asked.

"It's like they said. They wanna slam the brakes on this new Sentinel program, and they're convinced Eclipse is connected with their ancient enemy," said Rogue. "But this Senshi was willing to kill Eclipse if things got out of control, and she suspected the other Senshi might follow her lead." Beast nodded, looking over to the Senshi, no hint of reluctance about fighting left in him.

Rogue's power let her see into her victims' minds, their memories!? Uranus's ire rose all over again. The other Senshi didn't sound too happy about this, either. Venus had conjured another chain, holding it taut, and Tuxedo Kamen already had a handful of roses ready. But before they could utilize their seven-on-three advantage, the rest of the X-Men once again closed ranks. Storm carried Gambit over after fishing him out of the water, and Iceman let both Wolverine and Colossus tag along on an ice slide.

"Here we go again, back where we started. But not only are we down another Senshi, Rogue stole her powers," snarled Luna.

"Doesn't matter," spat Uranus. "We end this now!" The X-Men braced themselves for their charge, but just as the Senshi took a few steps, another shriek cut through the howl of Storm's winds.

"Moon Tiara Action!"

All of a sudden, a blazing, golden disc shot toward the X-Men. It struck Colossus on the side of his head, and he toppled instantly. Sailor Moon's tiara rebounded off to strike one set of Wolverine's claws. It didn't slice through them, but the energy transmitted and conducted was enough to make him howl in agony. Then it rebounded to strike Rogue's hand, making her drop the Deep Aqua Mirror, and went on, slicing apart the cards Gambit began charging up. Fortunately for the X-Men, they hadn't been energized to a dangerous degree. So when they detonated in his hand, it hardly hurt them, but the explosion knocked Gambit, Iceman and even Beast flat on their asses.

"Finally that meathead shows up!" cried Mars in triumph. "Now those mutants will see something!"

"Uhh, maybe not, Mars," said Chibi-Moon delicately.

"What? What do you mean, Chibi-Moon?" demanded Uranus.

"The tiara… Why's it coming back _AT US_!?" Chibi-Moon cried fearfully, pointing up.

Looking up, Uranus saw the tiara was indeed curving around to zoom right at them. It came at her first, knocking the Space Sword out of her hand, then rebounded to slice apart Tuxedo Kamen's roses, then Venus's chain. After it rushed past them once, it curved back, heading for the ground. It ripped through concrete, carving circles around the Senshi, giving off enough energy to make the ground they stood on shake and vibrate, knocking them all down.

"That's enough, from _ALL OF YOU_!" came Sailor Moon's furious voice, echoing all across the shipyard. Uranus caught a glimpse of her through the debris her attack kicked up. She caught her tiara as it boomeranged back, never breaking her stride, her body language betraying a rage Uranus would never have expected from their princess. "All of this, this fighting… Just stop, stop… STOP!"

"Indeed, this madness has gone on long enough," came another voice, this one a man's, and carried an aura of authority. So it was little surprise that the X-Men look disconcerted when they turned to the source. "This fight is _OVER_ , X-Men." Sailor Uranus turned to the source as well. Striding up alongside Sailor Moon was an old, bald man in a business suit, but… Wolverine must have rattled her brains harder than she thought. Uranus swore the man looked transparent, as if he wasn't really there.

"Professor Xavier!? He's here!?" cried Mars incredulously, scrambling to her feet, trembling with terror.

"But… He's supposed to be a paraplegic!" cried Tuxedo Kamen. "How can he be walking!?"

"He's not," said Sailor Moon. "It's just a projected mental image. _I'M_ really here though, and whoever tries taking another potshot at the X-Men gets a Sailor Moon Kick right to the face." The dead-serious tone in her voice… Sailor Moon wasn't bluffing, she _MEANT_ it.

Still, some of the other Senshi echoed Uranus's own incredulity. "Sailor Moon, of all the thick-headed…" Uranus began. "You still think we can trust them!? They were more than happy to try taking us apart!"

"Maybe the fact that both times, the Sailor Senshi showed hostile intent first, had something to do with it!?" snapped Shadowcat.

"You were trying to keep Eclipse from us! And now you've almost killed Sailor Neptune, stole her power! Sailor Moon, you expect us to make nice-nice after all this!?" demanded Uranus, glaring back at the X-Men. Wolverine had his claws back out, lightning arced around Storm again, and Rogue picked Michiru's mirror back up. However, unlike the other X-Men, who would gladly throw down all over again, there was an odd look in Rogue's eyes. A mix of reluctance, indecision, and shame. Still, it didn't assuage Uranus's rage one bit. She formed a fist, collecting power, but Sailor Moon dashed in front of her.

"I told you, Uranus… _STOP IT_!" snarled Sailor Moon.

"Out of my way, Sailor Moon!" roared Uranus. "Rogue has to pay for what she's done. This fight isn't over until…"

Then, to Uranus's astonishment, Sailor Moon grabbed the collar of her sailor fuku and pulled her face down to her level. "It's over, Uranus… _**BECAUSE I SAY IT'S OVER**_!" she screamed with a fury and vehemence that, for lack of a better word, eclipsed anything Uranus ever saw from her princess before. Sailor Moon then shoved Uranus to the ground. Some of the other Senshi gaped in astonishment down at Uranus, while she stared back up at their princess, dumbstruck. Even during all their arguments over what to do with Sailor Saturn, she never saw Sailor Moon so angry. What was really going on here?

"So, are we supposed to just trust them too, now?" Iceman cut in delicately. "Like Kitty said, the Sailor Senshi made a move first."

"That is irrelevant now, Robert," said Xavier sternly. "I have reached an agreement with Sailor Moon, and this pointless fighting will cease at once."

"Professor, is it wise to lower our guard?" asked Storm. "Sailor Moon apparently may not speak for all the Senshi."

"From what Sailor Moon has told me, she is their princess and they feel honor-bound to obey her wishes," said Xavier. "In any case, Sailor Moon came to me in good faith, and we will now return it. She has ordered the Sailor Senshi to stand down, and the X-Men _WILL_ do the same."

Uranus got back to her feet, half-expecting the X-Men to defy their leader. Yet, to her amazement, Wolverine sheathed his claws once again, and Iceman's body reverted from solid ice to flesh and blood. Colossus undid his transformation as well, and Storm lowered herself to the ground, the lightning crackling about her fading. Not only that… Uranus wasn't sure yet, but it felt as if the stormy winds were already dying away, though a light rain still fell. Though, as Uranus's gaze swept over the X-Men, she saw their lingering unease. Despite what both their leaders demanded, this would be an uneasy cease-fire. However, there was still the matter of what Rogue did to Michiru. Uranus locked her gaze with Rogue again, and saw she still exuded unease and shame. "What about what Rogue did?" Uranus demanded of no one in particular, not taking her eyes off Rogue.

"We have equipment on the Blackbird that can hasten your friend's recovery," said Xavier. "But for the moment, we shall hand her over. Rogue?"

Rogue glanced over to her professor, looking more mortified than ever, then took a few tentative steps across the gap that separated the two teams. Some of the other X-Men, particularly Gambit, watching warily, expecting trouble. Out the corner of her eye, Uranus saw Jupiter clench her fists, and Tuxedo Kamen gripped his cane anxiously. But soon enough, Rogue reached Uranus, and gently laid Michiru in her waiting arms, then handed over the Deep Aqua Mirror. "Here, the power drain is temporarily, usually… People get better in a few hours. Magic, in particular, I don't seem able to hang onto very long…" Rogue sounded almost apologetic, as if this sort of thing happened before, and always tore her up inside. Uranus's face was still stone, not quite moved yet. For the moment, however, she was just glad to have Michiru back in her arms, but if Rogue was lying about this power theft being temporary…

"So… that's it?" Jupiter cut in disbelievingly. "After we just tried ripping each other to shreds, and saw one of our own have her power sucked away, we're supposed to pretend nothing happened?"

"Darlin', if we really wanted ta rip you ladies to shreds…" Wolverine popped one set of claws.

"Logan, not helping!" Sailor Moon spat acidly, glaring at him. Amazingly, the gruff, animalistic mutant said nothing else, even going so far as to sheathe his claws again.

"I do hope to earn your trust in time, Sailor Jupiter," said Xavier. "Though I was… indisposed for a short time, I am still responsible for the X-Men, even when they launch an unsanctioned mission." He glared directly at Storm, who seemed to wither a little. "I suppose the X-Men will have plenty opportunity to rectify what has proven a rocky start, since I intend to honor the agreement I made with your princess."

"Agreement?" repeated Venus dubiously. "What agreement?"

"Sailor Moon fully intended to be here tonight, after concluding some business with me," said Xavier. "Once the Sailor Senshi successfully incapacitated and secured Eclipse, she promised to hand her over to the X-Men."

"She what?" Shadowcat asked softly, echoing the disbelief of all the other X-Men. Even the scholarly Beast looked dumbfounded, finding they made a stand against the Sailor Senshi for nothing.

"She WHAT!?" Mars roared, rounding on Sailor Moon, her fear of Xavier forgotten. "Sailor Moon, of all the… After everything Eclipse put us through, you expected us to simply give her up!?"

"And in exchange," Sailor Moon said stonily, not fazed in the least by Mars's vehemence, "some of the X-Men will stay in Japan to help us deal with the Sentinels. And give us all the information we could ever want about the Sentinels, Magneto, the Brotherhood, the Acolytes, everything."

"But Sailor Moon and I discovered things are more convoluted than we first imagined," added Xavier.

"It's time to show them, Professor," said Sailor Moon, turning toward the X-Men. Beast, Wolverine and Shadowcat stood aside to let her pass, bemused looks on their faces. Sailor Moon ignored them and walked on, toward the breach in the barricade. Glancing over her shoulder back at the Senshi, she told them, "Well, come on."

The Senshi looked to one another anxiously, not really sure what was going on. Sighing, Uranus stepped forward, still cradling Michiru in her arms, and she heard some of the Senshi follow her. Soon enough, both teams were standing within the X-Men's barricade, where Cable was still containing Eclipse with telekinesis. In fact, he was almost finished with prying her loose, most of the tendrils pulled out and telekinetic barriers keeping her from creating more. "I've still had no luck probing her mind," said Cable simply, guessing that everyone else noticed his progress.

"And I recommend you make no further attempts, Nathan," said Xavier. "In the meantime, lower you telekinetic shield, and let Sailor Moon use the Ginzuishou again."

Cable looked over his shoulder, his left eye flashing. "Am I to trust there'll be a different result this time?"

"Definitely, Cable," said Sailor Moon. Uranus wasn't sure, but there was a sadness to her voice now, as if her earlier anger with the Senshi was forgotten. "Last time, I was just trying to purge something sapping her will, but there wasn't anything like that. Nothing's controlling her. I won't purge her of her powers, mutant or otherwise, but I'll get them under control, shut off this defensive thing that kicks in when she's drugged." With that, her brooch opened to reveal the Ginzuishou. "Moon Healing Escalation!"

Sailor Moon was righter than she knew. Last time, Eclipse weathered the Ginzuishou's radiant energy just fine, but almost at once, the ooze receded, her cocoon disappearing. Eclipse slumped lifelessly to the shipyard floor. Uranus saw the slight rising and falling of her chest, so she was fine despite the sedatives still coursing through her. Eclipse would recover in short order though, given her resilience and how her ooze jumpstarted healing. She was still a danger, regardless of which team took her. "Sailor Moon, you know I'll ultimately abide by your choice to hand Kizachi over to the X-Men, but do you think they can contain her? She's still got powers from the Dark Kingdom, which they have no experience with."

"You'd be surprised what kind of weird, evil, demonic crap we've had to put a lid on before," scoffed Iceman.

"Deal with any demonic crap that'll build killer robots to hunt down your kind!?" demanded Chibi-Moon.

"Well, there was Cameron Hodge and his makeover in Genosha, then came the Phalanx…" Iceman replied delicately.

"Whatever, Iceman," spat Mercury. "The point is, we Senshi are a tad bit confused about why the X-Men would go to such lengths to protect a mutant that's turned against her own kind and designed Sentinels. Sentinels that'll hunt _US_ to, don't forget."

"It's just what we do, Sailor Mercury," said Storm. "Just like how the Sailor Senshi claim to fight for love and justice, the X-Men strive to achieve peace between all peoples, humans and mutants alike. While we will fight any mutants who abuse their power and threaten normal humans, we also seek to help those mutants unable to control their power, or are so confused and angry they're unwilling to try. Even if they conspire to do something as horrible as construct new Sentinels, to hunt both of our teams. But that's irrelevant here. Eclipse did no such thing. This isn't Erina Kizachi."

Uranus's eyes widened, and she heard gasps from her fellow Senshi.. She recalled Wolverine trying to tell her something about Eclipse, claiming there was something they didn't understand about her. As if sensing Uranus's confusion, Wolverine said, "It's true, darlin'. Erina Kizachi got up close and personal with your… princess right before she tailed Ororo and Kitty, so the scent was fresh when I saw Usagi earlier. Couldn't really get any scent off that gunk Eclipse left the first time our teams tussled, but being so close to her just now, I could tell the scents didn't match. Whoever she is, it ain't her."

"And Cable relayed Wolverine's findings to the rest of us, and we acted accordingly," said Beast. "That's why we could not permit you to spirit Eclipse away, not until we ascertained her identity and her motives."

"We all tried to tell you, but none of you Senshi were willing to listen!" added Shadowcat. That dragon on her shoulder seemed to harumpf in agreement.

Uranus was speechless. Both teams screwed up tonight, but it was looking more and more like the Senshi truly had no idea what was going on, and it was galling in the extreme.

"Well, the mystery's over," said Sailor Moon suddenly. "I know exactly who she is, and my friends, you're not gonna like it."

There were gasps from both the X-Men and the Sailor Senshi. Sailor Moon paid them no mind, staring down at Eclipse's still form. Eventually, Uranus found her voice again, though she still couldn't believe the Senshi could have been so wrong. "But Sailor Moon… The appearance of that Sentinel the other night, the way she knew all about the Senshi, Nephrite's investment… If she's not Kizachi, who the hell is she!?"

Sailor Moon glared back at her, and despite herself, Uranus recoiled. Then, without a word, Sailor Moon knelt beside Eclipse and grabbed hold of her goggles. They were half-melted onto her face, but Sailor Moon could still pull them off. When she yanked back, she also wound up taking off her helmet and… a wig?

"She was wearing a wig?" asked Mars, confused.

"A Sailor Mars cosplay wig, from the looks of it," said Sailor Moon, making Mars shift uneasily. Sailor Moon wiped off what gunk remained on Eclipse's face, which of course the still-failing rain did nothing to wash away. That face, that shoulder-length brown hair tied up in the back… It looked so familiar to Uranus, but the other Senshi seemed to recognize exactly who she was.

"Oh no no no, it can't be!" shrieked Mercury, falling to her knees as tears fell behind her visor. "I devised a weapon against _HER_!? I tried to deep freeze _HER_!?"

"This is insane… How can _SHE_ be the one!?" demanded Luna

"Usagi, how can… I-I-I-Is that really… D-D-D-D-Did w-w-we…" stammered Chibi-Moon.

"U-U-Usa-ko…" breathed Tuxedo Kamen. "How can you forgive me for this? I helped make this weapon, even tried to…"

"Oh no no no," sniffed Jupiter, starting to cry. "I didn't really, we didn't…" She turned as tears flowed.

" _NO_! Don't _ANY_ of you dare turn away!" roared Sailor Moon. She reached over to rip apart the fused zipper on Eclipse's jumpsuit. "We have to own this! No one here is blameless, not even me!" With that, she pulled back the black, long-sleeved shirt Eclipse had on underneath it. By doing so, she revealed a midsection with defined abs, and a huge, sickly-looking scar from a gash right across it.

More of the Inner Senshi began to bawl, and for once, Uranus couldn't blame them. Even some of the X-Men looked saddened, even that dragon-thing, despite being the ones who kept the Senshi from making a terrible mistake. Unbearable shame welled up within her as well, now that she could finally put a name to the face. Uranus thought she fully learned the lessons from the fiasco with Hotaru Tomoe, that such mistakes would never be repeated. But despite the efforts of all the Sailor Senshi, it nearly happened all over again. It would be a long time before she, and the rest of the Senshi, could come to terms what could have happened this night.

That they beat down, and were willing to kill, Naru Osaka.

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Over a decade. For over a decade, the events of this chapter rattled around in my head. The Sailor Senshi put to the ultimate test against a rival superhero team just as talented and driven as they are, and when the dust settles, must accept they were making a horrible mistake the whole time. Y'see, that's what I do with characters I really like: give them challenges worthy of their mettle, both mental and physical. Anyway, if we're going by the three-act structure of a movie, this would definitely be considered the conclusion of the first act. And though some of my plans changed a bit over the last decade (a whole arc with Nehelenia was cut out), this insane part, this big superhero-on-superhero slugfest with the terrible revelation at the end, stayed the same. Honestly, it's a _HUGE_ relief to have at least this part done.

So yeah, there you have it. It's out there now. Naru Osaka is Eclipse.

So long,

Grey-X


	14. The Secret of the Ooze

Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 14: The Secret of the Ooze

9-30-2017

By Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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" _The… X-Men?" Naru said softly, almost in a whisper. "Y-Y-Y-You've met their leader, you know who he is?"_

" _Yeah, I sought him out because, well… Like I said, Naru, I have no idea how I'm supposed to help mutants," said Sailor Moon. The two of them still stood on a skyscraper rooftop, barely a block away from the hotel where Xavier had reserved rooms. So close now, to getting Naru the help she needed and then joining the Senshi at the shipyard. "But he'll know what to do for you. My dad… He was there when the X-Men first fought Magneto, saw what they could do. They were just teenagers back then too, but they drove him off. Xavier's trained a mutant who controls the weather, Naru! Think what he can do for you…"_

 _Naru looked uncertain, conflicted. At least her ire from moments before was melting away, but Sailor Moon wasn't encouraged by the doubts that seemed to creep up in its place. "B-B-B-But… I saw you on TV, Usagi. You were fighting the X-Men. And the next day, their leader agreed to meet with you?"_

" _Not really. I kinda just barged in while in disguise, but of course I was found out. That clawed guy, Wolverine… he's got a good nose," said Sailor Moon. "I didn't want us to fight them, Naru. Things spiraled out of control before I could get there. The X-Men are heroes, Naru, and they do so much good for everyone… Even if I can't make the other Senshi see it, at least I can get the X-Men to help you out."_

" _How, exactly?" Naru asked, her voice still full of doubt. Why was she sounding so uncertain? This was the X-Men they were talking about, the toughest mutants around! Who better to help a young mutant struggling to cope with her powers? "How are they going to help me get my life in order?"_

" _Oh, if you could've seen… Xavier's mutant power is telepathy, and through that, I was taken halfway across the world," Sailor Moon explained. "He's got this big school… Actually, I'm a little jealous. Let that sink in, Naru. There's a school I'd actually BE EXCITED to go to, it's so cool. And below the mansion, there's a hangar for a jet, and something like a holodeck from Star Trek to train… It's got it all!"_

" _A jet, training…" Naru muttered. "This Professor Xavier… Sounds like he wants to recruit me into the X-Men. Is that what this is all about?"_

" _Why not!?" Sailor Moon cried with a smile, reaching over to grab Naru's shoulders. "OK, I can understand if you don't want to be a Sailor Senshi anymore. Jumping around in miniskirts isn't for everyone. But you still want to be a hero, right? You've got powers of your own now. Don't you want to use them for good?"_

" _I-I-I-I… Usagi, I-I-I-I d-d-don't know if I…" Naru spluttered. Sailor Moon frowned. Something was very wrong. She could understand if Naru still didn't entirely trust her, or doubted she was a good fit for the X-Men now that being a superhero was a very real possibility. Yet there was something else, a sort of terror brewing within Naru that didn't make any sense._

 _As Sailo Moon pondered what it could be, she heard an odd sound on the floor below. A sort of_ _ **PLUP, PLUP, PLUP**_ _…_

 _Glancing down, it looked like something was pooling around Naru's feet, something dark and gooey. Almost like oil. It took a moment to realize that the blackness of night couldn't explain why this stuff looked so dark. Suddenly, Naru shoved her away, with enough force that would've sent a normal girl skidding across the roof. As it was, Sailor Moon staggered back a few paces, and she got a good look at Naru's right hand. Against her skin, there was no mistaking the oily glop dribbling down all over it. Naru looked to where Sailor Moon was gazing, then looked back up in horror, tears streaming down her cheeks._

 _Sailor Moon was close to tears herself. This couldn't be happening, her eyes had to be playing tricks on her. "Naru, it was you… How can, w-w-w-why did you… H-H-H-How could it be YOU!? HOW CAN_ **YOU** _BE ECLIPSE!?"_

 _Naru's mouth hung open as she backed away, shaking her head. Tears kept flowing, her mind blanking out now that her most terrible secret was out. Sailor Moon's mind was blank as well. She knew Naru was angry with Sailor Moon, but angry enough to hurl wooden pallets and blast of dark energy at her? And wait a second… If Naru was Eclipse, how did she get powers from the Dark Kingdom in the first place!?_

 _Sailor Moon would get no answer to her questions, spoken or otherwise. As Naru came to her senses first, all Sailor Moon got was a cascade of oily goo ensnaring her torso. Naru had reached out with her right hand, willing more ooze to issue forth, and then with a terrified howl, swung Sailor Moon around, slamming her against a cooling tower. The ooze wrapped around it, trapping Sailor Moon as Naru conducted dark energy through her slick. Sailor Moon screamed, consciousness swiftly slipping away. But as suddenly as the cascade began, it stopped._

 _Though Sailor Moon was still pinned to the cooling tower, the ooze was no longer connected to Naru. Looking up, despite her double-vision, Sailor Moon saw Naru staggering back, hands on her head, screaming. "No, another one!? Get out! GET OUT!"_

 _It had to be Professor X. Naru was mostly impervious to telepathic scans, but he could still sense Sailor Moon, and her thoughts and pain. He knew something was wrong, and intervened. And maybe, just maybe, he was powerful enough to do what Cable couldn't…_

 _Those hopes were dashed as Naru screamed again. A huge rush of some dark, wrong SOMETHING that chilled Sailor Moon to the bone shot out from Naru like a shockwave. Sailor Moon's vision went fuzzy again. When it was finally clear, Sailor Moon felt Naru grab her by her twintails to hoist her head up. Naru had her fist reared back. Sailor Moon's blood froze. A punch from Naru could rip through tank armor. She had no desire to find out what it could do to her face._

" _Naru, you wouldn't… Naru…" Sailor Moon muttered helplessly. How could Naru be Eclipse? How could she be angry enough with her to kill?_

 _Thankfully, it looked like she wasn't. Tears still trickled down Naru's face, and her eyes betrayed uncertainty, terror, shame… Just about anything but bloodlust. Still, Sailor Moon was far from out of danger. Naru shook her head slightly, lip trembling, and then with a shriek delivered a backhanded slap to the side of Sailor Moon's head. Not quite powerful enough to rip her head off, but it knocked her out cold._

 _Sailor Moon would've probably remained unconscious until sunrise, pinned to that cooling tower, had not a voice entered her head, willing her to awaken. "Sailor Moon… Usagi… You must wake up. So much depends on you…"_

" _Urrrk," Sailor Moon groaned, picking her head up. It was throbbing like mad, yet a voice kept intruding. Gentle, but unyielding._

" _Your friend, Naru Osaka, has been gone for some time," came Professor Xavier's voice, in her head. "There was some sort of blowback when I tried to shut her mind down, and thus I failed to keep her from incapacitating you, Sailor Moon. Both of us have been unconscious for hours."_

" _It's… not your fault, Professor," Sailor Moon groaned. "I had no idea she was really Eclipse. Looks like Naru needs a lot more help than we thought."_

" _And she needs it now, especially," said Xavier. "I'm still too weak due to the backlash from Naru's mind, but I can still sense my X-Men are locked in combat. With the Sailor Senshi."_

" _They're fighting again!?" cried Sailor Moon, the pulsing pain in her head forgotten._

" _Over what to do about Eclipse, yes," said Xavier. "I currently do not have the strength to intervene a good distance away, so you must get there, stop this pointless fighting. Hopefully, by the time you reach the shipyard, I'll regain enough strength to help in some way. For now, though, everything rides on you."_

 _Groaning, Sailor Moon tried to stand up, but found herself still pinned to the side of the cooling tower with Naru's goop. She still couldn't believe this gross stuff came out of Naru. "Ugh, I think this stuff has pretty much hardened in place, Professor," grumbled Sailor Moon. "I'm… not strong enough to break free of it."_

" _You must do something, Sailor Moon," said Xavier sternly. It was as if his will was seeping into her mind, goading her into taking action. "There is too much risk of those from both of our teams getting hurt if this fighting continues. You must put a stop to it!" One hand reached up, pulling against Naru's goo, not entirely of Sailor Moon's volition. Tilting her aching head down, Sailor Moon's fingertips brushed against her tiara. Eventually, she had a good grip on it._

" _Moon Tiara Action!" she cried, willing the blazing disc to loop around. It sliced apart the cooling tower, and at last Sailor Moon could pull herself free. She stumbled onto one knee on the roof, barely having the strength to stay up like that._

" _Go, Sailor Moon!" Xavier's voice echoed in her head, willing her to find the strength to stand, to get going. Sailor Moon stumbled forward, feeling like she would keel over any second, but Xavier forced her to stay awake, to keep moving. She was only a few meters from the roof's edge, now. Looking up, Sailor Moon saw the water, and what looked like a cyclone that had come out of nowhere, along with flashes of light. The professor was right… The X-Men and the Sailor Senshi must be going at it with everything they had! Her will to end this insanity renewed, Sailor Moon found she didn't need Xavier's urging to dash forward and jump to the next roof. She'd get to the shipyard before someone on either team did something everyone would regret. One way or another, this stupid feud between their teams ended tonight._

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"So I headed straight for the shipyard, hoping I'd make it in time to keep everyone from doing something stupid," said Sailor Moon, finishing her explanation of how she knew Naru was Eclipse, and why it took so long to join the Senshi. She looked down, where Naru was held in her arms, still half-covered with her ripped-open jumpsuit. Her breathing was steady, though she still slumbered due to the drugs in Mercury's chemical weapon. She looked over to Sailor Uranus, who cradled Michiru in her arms in a similar fashion. Michiru still had yet to recover from Rogue's power drain, though over an hour had passed. Looking around, Sailor Moon watched the leaves of the trees, deep in the forest behind the Hikawa Shrine, sway in the wind. Thankfully, this wind had nothing to do with the cyclone Storm created. That had long since dissipated. Sailor Moon could only hope her fellow Senshi's lingering wariness of the X-Men would fade, too.

The rest of the Sailor Senshi stood close by, waiting. Very little had been said as the Senshi made their way back through the city. What was there to say, after learning they unleashed holy hell on Naru? Once there, Sailor Moon decided to tell them about what she was doing while they gathered at the shipyard. But now, an uneasy silence hung over them again, along with the shadowy darkness afforded by this forest at night.

"You only just learned Naru was really Eclipse, but you knew about her being a mutant these last few months," said Uranus suddenly, shattering the silence. "You kept it from all of us, despite so many begging you to tell us what was wrong."

"I had to, Uranus," said Sailor Moon. Mercifully, seeing who Eclipse really was sobered the Senshi up, but perhaps Uranus most of all, despite her dread regarding Michiru. So Sailor Moon couldn't stay angry with her, though she was miffed by the insinuation she should've betrayed Naru's trust from the start. "Naru figured out who I was, but kept it a secret because of how the Senshi were always saving her. I had to return the favor. But it… wasn't enough. She needed me more than ever, and I-I-I-I…" Sailor Moon had done a good job keeping her tears in check, but now they flowed once more.

"Sailor Moon, when you used your tiara on her that night… You couldn't have known," said Mercury. "I was there, remember? None of us had a clue."

"It doesn't matter, Ami," said Sailor Moon, sniffling. "She needed me as a friend more than ever, but I let myself get bogged down with entrance exams and the Dead Moon Circus, and… Now it may be too late. I swore I wouldn't let history repeat itself, but maybe it already has."

"Usa-ko, what do you mean?" asked Tuxedo Kamen.

"I-I-I… was afraid Naru would go down the same road Magneto did," said Sailor Moon, eliciting gasps from some of the others. "He was good once, but let anger eat away at him."

"How do you know so much about Magneto?" demanded Uranus.

"Xavier told me all about him, about back when they were friends," said Sailor Moon.

"Friends? Professor Xavier and the deadliest mutant terrorist there ever was?" asked Mercury incredulously.

Sailor Moon nodded. "Yeah, back when they worked at a hospital in Israel. He survived the Holocaust, and the memories… He couldn't let go of the past, and thought that was mutantkind's future…"

"So Magneto took matters into his own hands," said Venus. "All this time, he felt like he was keeping mutants from going through the same thing."

"Xavier kept trying to reach him, reason with him, but his anger was too much," said Sailor Moon. "At least he was there to try. Naru… I was too late for her."

"Maybe not, Sailor Moon," said Luna. "Naru never crossed the line and committed outright murder. Not even to protect her secret once you found out. And we still don't know why she decided to go hunting yakuza members. I doubt it was just to play hero."

"There's a lot we don't know about what's happened to Naru," added Mars. "Namely, why the hell does she have powers like the Shitennou in the first place!?"

"Well, it had to come from the Dark Kingdom somehow. Mercury's computer couldn't be that off," said Jupiter.

"Yeah, Mercury! You said it was genetic, that Queen Metalia created her own mutants!" cried Sailor Moon.

"I don't think Metalia or Beryl had anything to do with this," said Mercury. "There's only one way I can think of that Naru got these extra superpowers."

"And that would be?" asked Mars.

"You were there, Mars. So was I, and Sailor Moon," said Mercury. "It was when Nephrite died in her arms, and disintegrated into that weird, sparkly dust. Well, maybe it was something more. This is only a hypothesis, one I can't really test, but suppose it was actually cassettes carrying genetic information that transfected Naru, essentially splicing the same genes allowing dark energy manipulation into her cells. Think of it as the same as horizontal gene transfer among bacteria, when virulence factors and resistance to antibiotics spreads."

"Naru and Nephrite, mingling bacteria swapping genes?" Sailor Moon's face contorted in disgust. "That just sounds… creepy. And wrong."

"You think… Nephrite did that on purpose? Tried to give Naru his powers?" Mars wondered aloud. "He wanted to make sure Naru could protect herself in case Zoisite came back for her. Is that what you're saying?" Mars sounded as sorrowful as Sailor Moon felt. Nephrite's death was a punch in the gut to them all. Realizing that he wasn't such a heartless monster after all, yet in the end they were powerless to save him.

"It's the only explanation that makes sense," said Mercury. "Unfortunately, Nephrite knew nothing of epigenetics. Those traits were still spliced onto Naru's X-gene, so they wouldn't be expressed until the rest of her mutant powers surfaced. Long after we dealt with the Dark Kingdom."

Sailor Moon stared down at Naru, who was still out cold. She tried to picture it, going by what she gleaned from Xavier's book. Gyrases and stuff zipping and cleaving and unzipping DNA, new genes from that dust Nephrite dissolved into weaving their way in… It was all so confusing, trying to imagine it, so Sailor Moon just figured Mercury was right as usual. She often wondered if Nephrite had really been about to turn away from the Dark Kingdom. Here, perhaps, was finally proof he would have. "So all that's left of the Dark Kingdom was in her all along," she muttered. "And now, just like Nephrite, she's got to choose what to do with it."

"Well, if you and Professor Xavier get your way, she'll pick using it as an X-Man," said Artemis.

"Kinda sucks that her mutant genes got turned on so much later," said Jupiter. "We've known her longer… She should've been on our team! Now the X-Men get to just swoop in and recruit her? We let them hog all the super-strong mutants?"

"Funny, I somehow figured you'd be the most jealous of how Naru can rip through a tank the way Usagi rips through a piece of lemon pie," quipped Mars.

"HEY!" snapped Sailor Moon.

"Jupiter's got a point, though…" said Tuxedo Kamen.

"Ugh, we just fought the X-Men about who gets to take Eclipse where," grumbled Uranus. "Now we're going to fight over which team she joins?"

 _At least Uranus doesn't exactly sound eager to pick any more fights with the X-Men,_ Sailor Moon realized hopefully. _Then again, when Michiru's hurt, nothing's a guarantee…_

"Jupiter's not the only one who feels that way," said Luna. "I pretty much had the same reaction."

"So we would've made Naru an honorary Senshi?" asked Venus delicately. "How would that have worked, anyway? Find a custom-tailored fuku for Naru, and she go finds a phone booth to change into it while the rest of us transform?"

"Plus, Naru would be without the glamour that keeps people from recognizing your faces," added Tuxedo Kamen.

"That ooze could've worked as a mask. Or we could've simply given Naru the Disguise Pen," said Artemis. "But what would we have called her?"

"How about Sailor Titan?" suggested Chibi-Moon. "There's a name that has an aura of strength!" Then Chibi-Moon suddenly looked sullen. "Besides, Titan orbits Saturn. And Hotaru… was the Senshi of darkness and destruction…"

"Perhaps Sailor Io is a better pick," said Mercury quickly. "Due to volcanic activity, stuff is oozing onto its surface all the time. Plus, Io is roughly the same size as the Moon, and Usagi and Naru knew each other for a long time…"

"All good ideas. A pity she's become so disillusioned with us, even before we started hunting her at every turn," Uranus said regretfully. "Perhaps Sailor Moon has the right idea. As much as we may wish otherwise, Naru is not one of us. She needs the counsel of her own kind. Besides, with that oil slick, their black uniforms would look better on her anyway."

"If I didn't know you better, Uranus, I'd say you sound ready to trust them 100 percent," said Sailor Moon with a smirk.

"Simply obeying orders and trusting the judgment of my princess," said Uranus aloofly, staring down at Michiru again.

"I hope so, Uranus. Because it sounds like they're here," said Luna suddenly. The rest of them looked up, and sure enough, a huge jet that almost blended into the night sky slowly hovered over the treetops. The Blackbird made its way over to a small clearing, right in front of where the Senshi gathered, and touched down.

" _THAT'S_ the X-Men's plane!?" Mars spat enviously. "That thing's _HUGE_ , and it looks like it cost a fortune to build."

"Considering how rich Xavier is, it probably did," said Tuxedo Kamen.

"Do we… really have to go in?" muttered Jupiter, now a bundle of raw nerves.

Mars clasped a hand on Jupiter's shoulder, making her yelp. "You took on a big blue circus ape and his ghost-girl student, Makoto. I think you can handle getting on a plane staying on the ground."

Truthfully, Sailor Moon felt a twinge of anxiety herself. It took some courage to go seek out the X-Men on her own. Now she had to bring the rest of the Senshi onto their plane, and some tension would no doubt linger. But she had an agreement with Professor X, a man who would keep his word. Taking a deep breath, Sailor Moon stepped forward as the Blackbird's bay door lowered, and the rest of her team followed.

As soon as they walked up the ramp, they were greeted by Beast and Gambit. The latter had left his uniform on, but Beast had thrown on a white coat. Both ran up to Uranus without preamble. Beast immediately got to work on Michiru with a stethoscope, while Gambit took one of her hands to check her pulse. "Vitals seem steadier then they were back at the docks, Hank," said Gambit with a smile, ignoring Uranus's glare.

"Indeed they do, Remy," said Beast in agreement. "She is recovering from Rogue's power drain far more rapidly than one would expect. Still, we can speed her recovery. This was please, Sailor Senshi. We have a biobed prepped for Ms. Kaioh already."

Uranus exchanged one furtive look with Sailor Moon before they followed. They walked along half the length of the Blackbird, and suddenly a bed for the X-Men's patients slid out of the wall. Another slid out right beyond it. With only another moment's hesitation, Uranus gently laid Michiru down on it, and Beast and Gambit got to work, hooking up equipment to better monitor her vitals.

Sailor Moon watched the two X-Men tend to her friend, truly hoping this was the start of breaking down the walls between their two teams. It looked like there would be another snag, though, as Cable sauntered up, still in uniform as well. "Sailor Moon, the other biobed is for Naru," he said simply.

Sailor Moon knew that Naru needed tending as well, thanks to Ami's chemical weapon. So she deposited Naru on the second biobed, but received a rude shock when Cable positioned her arms and legs so that metal restraints slid over her ankles and hands. "What are you doing, Cable!?" she demanded.

"Taking precautions," said Cable curtly.

"As if that'll hold someone as strong as Naru," grumbled Chibi-Moon.

"Except they will," came Wolverine's gravelly voice. "We tested these restraints with Ben Grimm. If the ever-lovin' blue-eyed Thing couldn't bust out o' those cuffs, then unless she got gamma-irradiated too, Naru ain't gonna have better luck."

Sailor Moon looked across the Blackbird to see Wolverine was with Storm, both of them seated on a bench fixed to the plane's wall. So far, it looked like Storm was the only one who changed out of her uniform. She now wore black sweatpants and a sports bra, showing the bandage on her side where Venus clipped her. All Wolverine had taken off was his gloves, and replaced them with latex ones. He was putting finishing touches on stitches for Storm's forehead. Storm turned to look at her reflection in the wall panels, moving a lock of hair to cover up the stitches. Sailor Moon heard Venus gulp nervously.

"Rest easy, Sailor Venus," said Storm suddenly, standing and turning to the Senshi. "I don't like to hold grudges, and after all, I was throwing lightning bolts at you at the time."

"Besides darlin', Ororo's on speakin' terms with folks who've done way worse," added Wolverine.

"Like who?" asked Venus.

"Like Victor von Doom," said Storm simply, eliciting surprised gasps from many of the Senshi. "It's… complicated. And we have more immediate concerns to discuss, I suppose."

"Yeah, like how the restraints may hold Naru, but won't do a thing about her dark power or oil slick," Uranus pointed out.

"The biobed's made of nonconductive material, and I've already got a telekinetic shield up," said Cable. "She won't get away until we've had a chance to talk some sense into her."

"You mean, convince her to join the X-Men," said Tuxedo Kamen.

"The option to train to become an X-Man is there, should she choose it," said Professor X, rolling up in his wheelchair. The rest of the Senshi immediately turned toward him. Mars, in particular, looked more anxious than ever. "For now, our focus should be to see that a young, confused mutant gets the help she needs."

"Yeah, you were looking for her well before the X-Men flew to Japan, using that Cerebro thing," said Mars gruffly. She was putting up a brave front, but Sailor Moon saw her wither a little when Xavier turned to her.

"Ah yes, I haven't had a chance to truly apologize for overreacting to that… intrusion from days ago," said Xavier warmly. "I admit I was frustrated by how elusive Naru proved to be, and was far too forceful. I do hope you'll forgive me."

"I… guess we all make mistakes," said Mars uneasily, to Sailor Moon's relief. Things looked to be going OK so far. "Any idea how Naru suckered all of us? Not only did you have trouble with Cerebro, but my spiritual powers, Michiru's mirror, Ami's visor… Naru found some way to slip past all of that."

Xavier wheeled himself over to Naru's biobed. "Honestly, I am still uncertain," he said at length. "So much of your friend's power remains an enigma. But Sailor Moon explained how one particular ability of hers stemmed from your team's oldest enemy, which you believed vanquished, and you desperately sought answers. Have you come any closer to figuring that out?"

"Actually, Mercury thinks she has," said Sailor Moon. "One of the Dark Kingdom's lieutenants died in Naru's arms, and he must've transferred his powers onto her X-gene.

"I see," said Cable, his left eye flashing as he glanced down at Naru. "So I trust that means the Sailor Senshi have given up on hauling her in?"

"Well, we still don't know what convinced her to become a one-woman yakuza-hunting outfit," said Luna.

Luna tensed a little, sensing someone walking up from behind. The cat looked up to see Wolverine hovering over her, glancing down. "Well little kitty, if it's yakuza that's got this girl all weirded out, I know a thing or two about dealing with that." With that, he popped out one set of claws, smirking.

"Logan, the Sailor Senshi and their friend face a complicated situation already," said Storm, walking up behind Wolverine. "You may yet make things worse. I doubt the Senshi wish for the Silver Samurai to throw himself into the mix."

"A… samurai? An actual samurai is on your long list of bad guys?" Venus asked in disbelief.

"Why not? They have a ninja," scoffed Jupiter.

"Wow, the textbooks I read about you guys in the future sure left out a lot of stuff," said Chibi-Moon.

"Let's hope so," said Cable suddenly. "That probably means you'll never have to deal with the reason I traveled back in time." Chibi-Moon turned to glare at him, her frustration with the fellow time-traveler palpable.

"Do we even want to know?" dared Venus.

"Nathan here has a beef with a fellow typically calling himself Apocalypse," said Gambit, glancing back from Michiru's biobed with a smirk. "With a name like that, you tell me."

"Is he any worse than Pharaoh 90 or Nehelenia? You tell me," Chibi-Moon shot back.

"Funny you mention a 'Pharaoh', Sailor Chibi-Moon, considering Apocalypse was born five thousand years ago in ancient Egypt, and convinced many he was a god," said Beast. He had finished setting up an IV for Michiru, while Gambit kept an eye on the biobed's readouts. Uranus kept glancing over his shoulder, wearing an expression of disbelief, as if she couldn't fathom why she was letting Gambit tend to her partner like this.

"Five thousand…" Sailor Moon muttered. "But I thought mutants were a recent thing."

"That's the common theory, Usa-ko, but a few could have been born in past centuries," said Tuxedo Kamen. "But still, a mutant that old… Could this Apocalypse be the first mutant ever born?"

"No, that's Selene," said Storm.

"The Greek goddess of the Moon?" muttered Artemis dryly.

"Which should tell you a thing or two about that broad's ego," said Wolverine. "And what she does is even less pretty than what I do. Kept herself alive for seventeen thousand years by bein' a psychic vampire. Plus she can manipulate non-living matter, and knows a quite a bit about sorcery."

Luna glanced up at Wolverine, face screwed up in contemplation. "Actually, that sounds a little familiar…"

"I suppose we'll all have a chance to read up on each other's most loathed enemies, since exchange of information was part of Sailor Moon's agreement," said Storm.

"Especially the Sentinels," said Mercury. "Your team's fought them plenty of times before, and I've still got scan data on Kizachi's new model I have yet to properly analyze."

"Well then, Ms. Mizuno, since there's little more I can do for your friend at this juncture, perhaps I can aid you in that endeavor," said Beast warmly, walking up to her. For a moment, Jupiter's anxiety of being inside a plane vanished, replaced with exasperation and disbelief at how Mercury looked completely smitten with Beast again. He showed Mercury over to a computer panel fixed into the wall, and she connected her computer to it. "Hmmm, it may take some time to construct an interface with your computer and the Blackbird's systems. I may need some help from Kitty, in fact. An impressive piece of technology you've constructed for yourself."

Mercury blushed again. "Well, er, I didn't design this, exactly. It's a… holdover from millennia ago, from the Moon Kingdom."

"Is that so?" asked Beast, not sounding incredulous at all. "I must say, I've had the privilege of working with technology from so many alien cultures, but to think something else this impressive lay waiting on the Moon for eons…"

It wasn't long before Mercury and Beast were fully immersed in their work, throwing out terms and phrases that went clear over Sailor Moon's head. It was best to let the two super-geniuses continue their work uninterrupted. Besides, she still had more immediate concerns. She glanced back over to where Naru lay. Thankfully, Beast and Gambit hadn't bothered to set up an IV for her or anything, even though they must have some way of piercing her skin in the event Rogue ever needed one. That was a good sign, considering the beating the Senshi said they gave her.

Sailor Moon looked around at them again. Jupiter was sitting where Storm and Wolverine had been, willing her anxiety down, but Sailor Moon could tell the heartbreak from finding out who she lobbed lightning at was still fresh. Chibi-Moon, Mars and Venus were speaking with Storm and Wolverine, looking quite crestfallen. It was the same story with them. Lastly, she saw Tuxedo Kamen stood beside Xavier and Cable, who still watched over Naru, as if they could somehow sense something despite her resistance to their power. "Professor, the genes Naru received from Nephrite… The power's quite unlike anything you would have encountered before, and even the Sailor Senshi still don't fully understand it," said Tuxedo Kamen. "And the powers she has naturally… Sailor Moon's put a lot of faith in you, and I've always marveled at your work, but can you honestly say you can help her friend?"

"I will do what I can, Mr. Chiba," said Xavier, never taking his eyes off of Naru. "This is my life's work, to reach out to young mutants in great need."

"I've made it a mission of mine, too, in a way," added Cable. "Don't worry, Tuxedo Kamen. If Naru chooses to come with us, I'll help make sure she gets a handle on her powers, and learn how to use them to survive."

 _This is what you wanted. Naru getting help from the undisputed experts,_ Sailor Moon told herself. Naru was in the best possible place for a troubled mutant, but somehow doubt crept up all over again. Nightmares about Naru turning evil, being determined to keep her from going off the deep end, only to find she might have already. But Storm said that just about everyone at their school made some sort of mistake, some which many would call unforgivable. Yet here they all were in Japan, ready to do some good and smash those Sentinels to scrap.

Sailor Moon left the others to talk among themselves, walking toward the front of the Blackbird. The cockpit door was open, and she peeked inside. Her eyes widened to see that Shadowcat, the youngest of these X-Men, was seated at the cockpit. A super-genius ninja who could fly jets too? She had an icepack pressed against her head, though. Oh yeah, and there was that weird dragon Lockheed on her shoulder, who just glared over at Sailor Moon suspiciously. "Am I still talking louder than I normally do?" she asked Colossus quite loudly, who was in the co-pilot's seat.

"Indeed," was all Colossus could say. Meanwhile, Iceman lazily leaned back in his seat, looking quite bored. But Sailor Moon knew he could have any of the Sailor Senshi on the ropes in a heartbeat. He was one of Xavier's first students, who helped drive off Magneto on their fist mission, a testament to how well Xavier could train young mutants. She wanted to ask him about that. What was it like to face Magneto that first time, was he scared? Oh, and what her father wouldn't give to have a lengthy interview with one of the original X-Men! But then Sailor Moon noticed the final X-Man, Rogue. Much like Jupiter, she just sat there, lost in thought, looking inward for a peace that may never come. Clearly, sucking up a Senshi's power was the last thing Rogue wanted tonight. Sailor Moon thought back to how Storm said so many of the X-Men made grave mistakes. She suspected Rogue considered tonight's disaster another one on a long list.

Rogue and Iceman's heads snapped up when a loud scream echoed within the Blackbird. Sailor Moon looked back to see that Naru had awakened. Just like Wolverine said, even her strength couldn't budge those restraints, and Cable's telekinetic shields still held her other abilities in check. She ran back over to her friend, wanting to plead with her to calm down, but what was there to say? She was surrounded by people who hadn't hesitated to turn their power on her when she disguised herself as Eclipse. Little wonder she was panicking.

Thankfully, though Sailor Moon's mind was drawing a blank, Xavier was already trying to get a handle on things. "Ms. Osaka, there is no need to fear," he said over her fearful cries without yelling, yet there was a patient firmness to his voice. "No harm will come to you. I'm the one Sailor Moon came to. I'm Professor Charles Xavier."

His words seemed to have an effect. Naru stopped screaming, yet she still struggled against her restraints, though she stopped lashing out at Cable's barrier with her other powers. The Sailor Senshi looked anxious, but stood their ground regardless. Naru's gaze shifted from one Senshi to another before fixing on Xavier again. "Y-Y-You're the one… The X-Men's leader, the one who trains mutant kids." Xavier nodded, but then Naru's gaze slid past him, over to where Jupiter had stood up. The sight of the Senshi that lit her up like a Christmas tree made her panic all over again. Another blast of dark energy exploded against Cable's shield, but it held.

"Naru, you've got to calm down!" Mars pleaded. "The Senshi won't hurt you! We know the truth!"

"You don't know anything, Rei!" spat Naru. Sailor Moon saw Mars's eyes widen. "What, you think it was only Sailor Moon's identity I figured out!? Oh yeah, I've known who all of you are for some time, but I never said anything. And it's just as well I didn't…"

"What's done is done, Naru," Xavier cut in. "The Sailor Senshi now realize their mistake and wish to make up for it. They have no qualms with you going to my school for help now, should you choose that path. Still, there are things we must know."

"What, why I was cleaning up Japan's streets of yakuza scum?" spat Naru. "Please, Professor… Over in America, people with superpowers put on masks and act as vigilantes all the time. Can you really hold this against me? The guy with the skull on a black suit outright slaughters gang members in your country. I never killed anyone, just taught them a lesson."

"You're not foolin' anyone, darlin', least of all yourself," said Wolverine. "Trust me, I can tell when someone starts a scrap just because, and when someone's got a personal score to settle."

"You mean, one of the yakuza groups did something to you, Naru?" Sailor Moon asked in horror. "What was it, Naru? You've got to tell us."

"I don't have to tell anyone anything, especially _YOU_!" shrieked Naru. Then she grit her teeth, as if collecting raw power for another go at Cable's shields.

Rather than look concerned, Xavier seemed to see an opportunity. "Nathan, lower your barrier, and undo her restraints."

"Are you sure, Professor?" Cable protested. "She's… not exactly being cooperative yet."

"Those are my instructions, Nathan," said Xavier firmly. Cable glanced down at Naru just as his left eye flashed. Blinking in surprise, Naru created a small, oily tendril that snaked out of a tear in her sleeve, testing to see that the barrier was really gone. An instant later, Cable punched in the commands to retract her restraints, but Sailor Moon could see his other hand was on his holstered pistol. At once, Naru sprang off the biobed, looking around anxiously, as if expecting this to all be one big trick.

"You're quite right, Ms. Osaka," said Xavier. "The X-Men have no right to hold you here against your will, and I doubt the Sailor Senshi have any desire to pursue you further, should you decide to leave. And I certainly cannot stop you with my telepathy. You can go if you wish, anytime. Or you can at least talk to fellow mutants who may yet understand what you're going through, and former friends who wish to make amends."

Naru stared at Xavier in disbelief, still thinking it was some sort of ruse. But, by some miracle, Sailor Moon could see Naru's tension lifting ever so slightly.

"Can't you at least try to trust us, Naru?" implored Venus. "Sailor Moon never betrayed your secret. We had _NO_ idea you were the reason she's been so worked up about mutants. But now that we know…"

"We want to help you, Naru, make up for how we screwed up tonight. But we must understand what's happened," added Uranus. Sailor Moon was encouraged. Uranus was willing to overlook how Naru tried to entomb both her and Neptune? Hopefully, Naru would see it the same way.

Naru still looked confused, angry, and fearful, but showed no desire to plow through them all and flee. With a defeated sigh, she fell back and sat down on the biobed, hanging her head as she began to cry again.

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 _Night had long since fallen, and Naru had just returned from Umino's place. She shuffled back into the OSA-P, exhausted and feeling dirty all over, in more ways than one. All sweaty and grubby from yet ANOTHER attack by one of Sailor Moon's enemies, and this one… It made Naru's skin crawl, thinking back to how that creepy womanizer tried to seduce her with a sob story. "Ugh, when did Sailor Moon's bad guys get this freaky?" Naru wondered aloud as she made her way up the stairs. "It used to be, evil as they were, they had… redeeming qualities."_

 _Nephrite… Her first love, dying in her arms. She had come to terms with the loss and moved on, but still, every so often, something reminded Naru of him. In this case, how Nephrite was the complete opposite of that freaky Tiger's-Eye. And how he showed it, right at the end._

 _It still stabbed at Naru's heart, whenever she thought of the night Nephrite was taken from her. It wasn't fair… Just as Nephrite was learning the value of love, that he didn't have to be a slave to evil, he was cut down for protecting her. The Sailor Senshi arrived too late, and she couldn't get those life-sucking plants out of Nephrite's shoulder._

 _Of course, for a moment, it had looked like Naru could. Right after those horrible women taunted her about being too weak, the plants budged._ Come to think of it, just how did I knock that lecherous creep on his ass tonight? _Naru thought to herself as she shuffled into the bathroom._ They say in times of stress, an adrenaline rush gives you insane strength. It'd be nice to have something more permanent, for the next time something like this happens, to either me or Umino…

 _Naru sighed as she turned on the shower. Nephrite was gone, and that creep Sailor Moon drove off wouldn't show his face again anytime soon. For now, Umino needed her, needed reminding that what they had wasn't something fleeting. So Naru stripped and stepped into the shower, hoping to wash away this unclean feeling._

 _Shutting her eyes, Naru let the hot water rush over her, feeling her muscles relax. She had no idea how long she stood there, letting the hot water do its job. Soon, though, Naru heard a strange noise over the shower. A sort of plup, plup, plup, right around her feet. That, and suddenly it felt like something besides water was flowing down her body._

 _Naru's eyes slowly fluttered open as she looked down, and she screamed. Somehow, some ugly, black goo now covered her torso, arms, legs, EVERYTHING! It looked like it was even dripping off her forehead, and the feeble spray from the showerhead did nothing to disperse this oily gunk. It dribbled down her entire body. With another shriek, Naru looked up for the source of this awful stuff, but there weren't any leaks in the bathroom roof. It wasn't sewage coming from the showerhead or the faucet, either. In desperation, Naru tried wiping it off her arms and face, but more seemed to appear out of nowhere!_

 _That's when it hit Naru. This ooze was COMING OUT OF HER!_

 _Naru stumbled around, her mind a blank as more of the stuff poured right out of her skin. With all the oil that had pooled right underneath her feet, she slipped. Naru reached out for the safety bar, yet she still felt her butt and backside slam down against the bathtub. Strangely, she hardly felt the impact at all. Shaking her head, Naru looked at her right hand, and found that the safety bar had been pulled right out of the wall! Not only that, where her hand was gripping it… The steel bar was crushed within her hand!? How was this possible!?_

 _And the night's nasty surprises were far from over. Suddenly, there was a crackle, like electricity. The next thing Naru knew, what could only be described as black lightning was conducted through the mutilated bar, blasting apart spots along the tiled wall before her!_

 _So Naru sat there as water still sprayed over her, covered by this disgusting filth pouring out of her very skin, her mind reeling. What was going on? Why was this gunk coming out of her? How did she rip the safety bar clean off the wall? And how did she just leave small, smoking craters in the wall before her? How was all this happening!?_

 _Suddenly, a terrifying possibility came to her. She often heard stories, from all over the world, about how kids her age suddenly got these weird, uncontrollable abilities out of nowhere. And there was a word for people like this… MUTANTS!_

 _Naru's eyes widened at this realization, tears flowing down into the gunk that still covered half her face. That was when her mother burst into the bathroom. "Naru, what's wrong!? I… AHHHH!" She screamed as Naru's ooze suddenly came alive and attacked her! Tendrils shot out, ripping apart the shower curtains. They just missed her mother as she ducked aside, smashing into the mirror instead._

" _NO! Stop this, STOP!" Naru pleaded. Amazingly, the tendrils froze in place, and no more formed and lashed out._

 _Mayumi stared at the tendrils impaling the mirror, wide-eyed with disbelief, then turned to look at her daughter. Soon enough, realization shone in her eyes. Shame the likes of which Naru never felt before froze her in place. Of all the other things that could go wrong… Now her mother would see her daughter was a freak of nature!_

" _M-M-Mama… I-I-I'm sorry…" Naru muttered weakly, before burying her head in her arms, sobbing. Mayumi said nothing, simply walking over to the bathtub, shoving aside the tattered remains of the curtains. Heedless of the water still going, of all the ooze covering her daughter, she knelt down and cradled Naru in her arms, simply letting her cry._

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"And that's how my mother and I first found out I was a mutant," said Naru, fighting back tears as she recalled her terror and shame. She had heard so many stories of parents casting their children out upon discovering they were mutants. What an incredible relief to find out that her mother did nothing of the sort. "She did everything she could to help me as I tried to keep a lid on all these freaky powers. She ordered a lot of new clothes that were fireproof. And don't let oil stains from the inside bleed through too easily. And laundry detergent bought in bulk," she added with a snort. Though the amusement was short-lived, Naru did feel a little bit better, having more people to share her painful secret with.

"Well, it's not unstable molecules, but it stood up to magical fire decent enough," said Wolverine, inspecting the spot where Sailor Mars's attack burned clean through Naru's jumpsuit, yet left the shirt underneath intact, though discolored and a little melted. "So, your mom did everything she could you help you out after she saw your powers. What then?"

"Then I just tried to make sure I didn't slip up in public," said Naru somberly. "It… was a constant struggle, absolute torture. I must've pulled off half the doors back home, for starters, and dreaded ripping doors off their hinges at school. Or zapping something. Or this gunk of mine just dripping out. The last one… It almost happened, so many times. It's the power where control slips way too easily."

"It seems to be the ability most affected by your emotional state," said Xavier. "You say it first came out uncontrollably as you mulled over how Sailor Moon's adversary mistreated you, and tendrils lashed out at your mother, as if reacting to a threat. And tonight on that roof with Sailor Moon, you also lost control, due to fear the X-Men would come after you again."

Naru nodded with a sob. "It's the most frustrating thing about all these powers. Half the time, when I wake up, the sheets are soaked with this gunk. It makes me wonder if I'll ever get a handle on it these powers."

"It will take some time, Naru, that we cannot sugarcoat," said Storm. "My power is tied to my emotions as well. Years of practice were necessary for me to truly harness the elements."

"So, after your mom found out, what happened next?" asked Sailor Moon.

"You know what happened next, Usagi," said Naru darkly. "Focusing on keeping my powers a secret had me so distracted about everything else at school, I got detention. And then that other creep attacked, and I had no choice but to use them to save you, and Umino found out."

"Yeah, and you were amazing, Naru!" cried Sailor Moon. "When I told the other Senshi about it while waiting for the Blackbird, how you weaponized a _FIRE ENGINE_ , they also couldn't believe…" Sailor Moon fell silent when Naru shot her an incensed glare, and at once her bubbliness faded.

"Weaponized a fire engine?" repeated Gambit.

"By smashing into it while it was going full-speed to bring it to a stop, then flattening a monster underneath it, according to Sailor Moon," said Tuxedo Kamen.

"An impressive feat, considering you only had your powers for a short time," said Beast. "But you said someone else learned of your mutant abilities in the aftermath?"

"My boyfriend, Umino," said Naru. "I was ashamed all over again, and ran, but he chased me down. H-H-H-He said he didn't care I was a mutant, and he promised to do everything he could to help me."

"So that's why Umino bought that book. The one you wrote, Professor," said Mercury.

"So your friend took it upon himself to help you control your powers?" asked Xavier.

"Y-Y-Y-Yeah. For one thing, we started weight training together, to get used to my strength and stop being afraid of it. It felt kind of silly, actually, seeing him use normal weights while I was benching cars, but he wanted to show he was willing to push himself, too," said Naru. "Not only that, he'd do stuff like rig tennis ball machines, so I could practice using my oil slick and black lightning. Shoot balls down, deflect them, catch them… Just when I thought Umino would run out of ideas, he'd come up with something new."

Wolverine chuckled. It was weird to hear such a grizzled, gruff little man laugh like that. "It's like this kid rigged a Danger Room just for Naru, Chuck. Maybe we should put him in charge of maintaining the real thing, since we'd probably have to bring him if Naru's going to agree to come back with us."

"What's the… Danger Room?" asked Luna.

"Something you would've locked me inside back in the day, until you decided I shaped up," said Sailor Moon darkly.

"Bring Umino with me… to America?" asked Naru dubiously, glancing at Wolverine, then back at Xavier. "You people really are serious about recruiting me into the X-Men?"

"If that's the path you choose, just know you wouldn't be an X-Man right away," said Xavier. "You've achieved an impressive amount of control in such a short time, but a good deal of training would be needed before you'd get to call yourself an X-Man. Besides, my institution is a school, first and foremost, meant to give young mutants such as yourself a place to belong. Unfortunately, unlike other students recruited from outside my country, a telepathic crash course in English is not an option, given how your mind is shielded in some strange way. You'll have to finish learning English the normal way."

"A… telepathic crash course?" echoed Naru, confused.

"A lot of the second team of X-Men couldn't speak English at first, so Chuck worked a little mind-magic to fix that," said Wolverine. "It's a bit different, though, when it's a language Chuck isn't really familiar with. For this trip, through his telepathy, the others basically 'borrowed' the expertise from me, Kitty and Hank."

"It's not permanent, though," said Cable. "It's a case of 'use it or lose it'."

"Well, that explains why some of you sounded a little… 'off' while you, Shadowcat and Beast don't," said Venus.

"How do you understand the Japanese language and culture so well anyway, Logan?" asked Mars.

"Another time, darlin'," said Wolverine quickly. "Right now, your buddy Naru should have the floor again."

"Yeah, Naru. I mean, I'm not making excuses for why I didn't do more, but it doesn't sound as bad as it was for other kids who found out they're mutants," said Sailor Moon. "Your mom and Umino were helping you, you kept your powers in check out in public except for the night Fish-Eye attacked. So what happened? Why did you throw on a costume and go after yakuza?"

"And why have you come to hate the Sailor Senshi so much?" Mercury added. "You tried to crush Uranus and Neptune with debris, you picked up a gun and fired at Jupiter and I. _WHY_ , Naru!?"

Naru felt herself wither a little under the gazes of the Senshi. They might as well finally learn what drove her to such lengths. Why she couldn't stop, not even tonight, despite knowing the Sailor Senshi were waiting…

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 _Naru stuck to the shadows as she tailed her mother. She ducked behind a bus stop booth as she watched Mayumi drift further down the block. Even at that distance, despite the nighttime gloom alleviated little by streetlights, Naru could read the dread and uncertainty radiating off her, and it was infectious, seeping into Naru. Threatening to undo the fragile confidence Naru had built up. Her mother did everything she could do help her, and Umino stood by her side. Just when Naru dared hope things would turn out alright, she noticed her mother growing more anxious, little by little._

 _And Naru wanted to know why. After everything she had done for her, being so supportive despite not really understanding anything about mutants, Naru was determined to do whatever she could for her mother._

 _But she had let Mayumi get too far ahead. She disappeared down an alley, and when Naru crossed the street to reach it, there was no sign of her. Naru glanced around, and then glanced up. Perhaps a higher vantage point would let her find her mother. Checking again to make sure no one would be watching, Naru reached up with an outstretched hand, summoning her oil slick. A tendril shot up and latched onto the roof's edge, letting Naru climb up the side of the building. This goop always oozing out of her body could be a real pain, but Naru had to admit, it sometimes came in handy._

 _Upon reaching the roof, it didn't take Naru long to spot her mother. Despite the dark-colored dress she wore, Naru saw her walking into a construction site. Why would she be going there? Something was very wrong._

 _Naru used another tendril to rappel back down, then bolted toward the construction site. Once again, she wasn't fast enough, and lost track of Mayumi. It was easy to lose track of someone in a place like this at night, the darkness making it quite creepy. When Naru figured out where to go, it was because of raised voices. One was definitely her mother, and she sounded fearful. The others were clearly yelling at her, and they didn't sound too friendly. A little too sure of themselves as well._

 _Making sure she stuck in the shadows, Naru approached the voices. Ducking behind a stack of lumber, Naru peeked out to see several figures standing within where the new skyscraper was being constructed, just under a beam. One was her mother, and the other guys… They definitely didn't look friendly. Four bruisers, and one skinnier guy who looked like he led them. And then he shoved her mother to the ground!_

" _We're getting tired of excuses, lady!" hollered the skinny man. "The agreement's been changed, and if you can't deliver… Well, maybe we should pay your daughter a visit…"_

 _Naru's eyes widened as she froze up. It couldn't be… Her mother got mixed up with some yakuza operation? And now they were coming after her mother, and threatened to go after her next?_

 _Well, they were in for a rude surprise._

 _Looking around, Naru saw a trailer and dashed for it. It was locked, but naturally, it instantly gave way with a good shove. Ducking inside, Naru found precisely what she was hoping for. Jumpsuits for the construction workers at this site. Most were too big for her, but one seemed just small enough. Naru hastily put it on, then looked for other things to complete her disguise. A pair of galoshes, hard hats galore, and even a pair of welding goggles! But something was still missing. Even all this didn't make Naru confident that any random yakuza thug wouldn't recognize Mayumi Osaka's daughter._

 _There, lying at the bottom of an open locker, was a large, pink bag that definitely looked out of place. Reaching into it, Naru gasped when she found it was a Sailor Mars costume! One of the workers probably bought it for his daughter, but forgot to bring it home. Opening it up, Naru was grateful to find it included a wig. She hastily put in on, then the welding goggles and hard hat. With a thought, black ooze crept up her neck, further obscuring her facial features. Now, hopefully, no one would recognize her._

 _Looking back down into the costume package, Naru reached in and pulled out the replica tiara. For a brief moment, she considered adding it to her disguise. But then, she scowled underneath her ooze, and crushed the tiara in her hand. No, whatever was going on with her mother and the yakuza, it must've been happening for a while, and the Sailor Senshi hadn't done a thing to stop it. Naru had a good idea who all of them were. She was their friend, or thought she was, but somehow this escaped their notice._

 _No, she had grown out of her desire to be a Sailor Senshi. This called for something entirely different._

 _Not love and justice, but FEAR!_

 _Naru left the trailer and slinked back to where the yakuza had been. Thankfully, they were still there. Sticking to the shadows behind another lumber stack, Naru summoned forth crackling dark power. This power… She couldn't have been born with it. Somehow, Nephrite must have given it to her, so she could protect herself from his old associates. Well, now it was going to be used for more than defense._

 _The thugs looked around nervously, wondering what the strange noise was. Naru launched a bolt of black lightning at their feet, taking care to keep it far enough away from her mother. It was getting easier and easier, thanks to Umino, collecting this power and aiming it._

 _The yakuza scattered, and some unholstered handguns to fire at the source. Naru was way ahead of them, using the darkness to her advantage. She slipped around them, then used her oily tendrils to pull herself up onto the beam above the yakuza. From there, it was a simple matter to ensnare the two goons who drew their weapons and slam their heads together. Two down, three more to terrorize, to make sure they never came back for her family._

 _Naru dropped down from the beam, feeling her mother's eyes on her back. Hopefully, she would have enough sense to find someplace to hide. Another thug reached for a gun, but a quick jolt of dark energy dropped him instantly. Another tried to rush her from behind. Naru didn't even look behind her, letting an oily tendril do her work for her. Oh, how Naru longed to break bone with her bare hands! But no, she couldn't risk it. Sailor Moon saw her use her super strength. Dim as she seemed sometimes, if a mysterious vigilante with insane strength used it to protect Naru Osaka's mother, she would put two and two together. Besides, she also had power like their old enemies. Another reason to not trust the Sailor Senshi. She was on her own._

 _More tendrils ensnared the skinny thug that shoved her mother, and Naru pinned him against a steel beam. She slowly approached him as another tendril formed around his neck, and she willed it to constrict little by little. Make him think she would choke the life out of him. As it was, it was a chore for him to gulp down air, and his words came in ragged gasps."W-W-W-What are you!?" he demanded. "S-S-S-Something Sailor M-M-M-Moon fights, or… O-O-O-One of them… l-l-l-little mutant freaks!?"_

 _Forcing down rage, Naru tried to think of a retort that would put more fear into him, make him blubber like a madman when he reported back, but decided that was something else she couldn't risk. No matter how hard Naru tried to disguise her voice, she couldn't risk her Kansai dialect seeping through. That would also be a dead giveaway._

 _Besides, perhaps it was better to let crushing silence speak for her…_

 _While Naru tried to decide what to do, she felt sharp pain in her back as loud cracks rang in her ears. One of the thugs wasn't completely out, and fired at her. Naru looked down, but saw no trace of bullets ripping through her. She did, however, feel small, cold objects fall down inside her jumpsuit. Naru's eyes widened underneath her goggles. She was bulletproof!_

 _Hopefully, these thugs would just assume she was wearing armor under her jumpsuit. Sighing as she looked back to the surprised goon to ensnare him with a tendril, Naru sent him careening toward the skinny guy so their faces smashed together, knocking both out cold. Sighing again as she retracted her oil slick, letting the skinny guy slump to the ground, Naru turned to find her mother. She had just emerged from behind cover, having seen everything. "N-N-N-Naru dear, did you… kill them?"_

 _Naru shook her head. "No Mama, I want them alive. I want them to go back and tell the rest of their gang there's a big, scary mutant monster out there who'll rip them to shreds if they try this again."_

" _B-B-But Naru, they'll surely figure out who you really are, that you're a mutant," pleaded Mayumi._

 _Naru looked down at the thugs she just took out, then back to her mother as she took off her helmet, goggles and wig. "Then I can't stop here."_

" _W-W-W-What do you mean, Naru?" asked Mayumi fearfully._

" _You're right, they'll figure it out, if I stop here," said Naru. "So I have to keep going. If you're mixed up with these guys, you can tell me where I can find more of the yakuza. And I'll beat them within an inch of their lives too. If I do that, they won't suspect I did this just to save you. They'll just think there's a crazed mutant out there with an axe to grind. And they'll be so preoccupied with the mutant monster gunning for them, they'll have no time to harass you anymore."_

" _N-N-Naru, you CAN'T!" Mayumi protested. "Having all the yakuza groups coming after you, the way you'll upset the balance of power between them… Who knows how this'll end! M-M-M-Maybe we can get the Sailor Senshi to do something."_

" _No way, Mama," said Naru gruffly. "I already lost… someone I cared about because the Senshi were too late getting where they were needed. Never again."_

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I killed myself to get two chapters out this month, which is the minimum rate I prefer. Hurricane ripping through the state, the previous chapter needing to be extra-long to do justice to the mutant-on-Senshi action. Hope you're all happy. This pretty much fills in all the story gaps left wide open after the revelation that Naru Osaka is Eclipse.

So long,

Grey-X


	15. Bridge Building

Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 15: Bridge Building

10-18-2017

By Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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"So I couldn't let up, even though I knew you Senshi were hot on my tail," said Naru, finishing her tale of the night she threw on the disguise that would later get her dubbed Eclipse. "I figured the police in the area might've been bribed, so I couldn't go to them. Even if they weren't… Why bother? The yakuza are so entrenched everywhere, probably nothing would've been done. And I figured if the Sailor Senshi had any interest in stamping out yakuza operations, they would've done it already. Besides, I still wasn't entirely sure Usagi was really Sailor Moon, and even if I was, well… I just wasn't willing to trust anyone else." There was the clear, unspoken implication of still feeling Usagi let her down, made her feel left behind. Usagi couldn't help but feel ashamed. "So since I had these powers, I decided to go it alone. Cause so much grief for all the yakuza I could find, they wouldn't know where to turn. And leave my mother and our business alone."

"But it didn't really turn out that way, did it?" asked Wolverine delicately. "You aimed to create chaos, and caused a bit more than you bargained for. I've been sniffin' around… You've upset delicate balances of power, made things hairier for a lot more people than you and your mom. The extortion attempts against your mom didn't stop, and yakuza violence has been up all across the board."

"Even worse, given how the yakuza are essentially an indelible part of Japanese society, as you said, you've served to make mutants even less trusted," added Cable.

"Get over yourself, Cable," snapped Chibi-Moon. "Mutant relations is the X-Men's job. Naru's not one of you yet. She had more immediate concerns."

"No, Chibiusa, he's right," said Naru, right before burying her face in her arms. "I've probably made things way worse for other kids worried about keeping their powers a secret. I know I'm more terrified than ever of slipping up." She sniffed again, choking back sobs. "But I just couldn't stop. I figured there _HAD_ to be a breaking point, that soon those thugs would just back off!"

"What about us, Naru?" Uranus demanded. "Did you have to go so rough on all of us?"

Sailor Moon had hoped learning Naru was Eclipse would shock some sense into the Senshi of Wind, but she was still as rigid and domineering as ever. Before she could scold Uranus, Naru responded. "I just wanted the Senshi to back off too! Don't you remember, Haruka? I didn't know _WHAT_ to do about you and your partner…"

"Yet when Sailor Moon arrived, you tried to kill her!" Uranus spat back. "Naru, we must know… Do you really hate her _THAT_ much!?"

Naru buried her face in her arms again, sobbing. "NO! It's just, I mean… When I saw her, and she talked about me as if I was just one of those noxious goons from Nephrite's outfit, when I already felt like she abandoned me… I-I-I-I just snapped. It made me feel even more alone. And then that time, the tiara actually _HIT_ …"

"You're not alone, Naru!" Sailor Moon cried, unable to restrain herself any longer. Tears flowing, she threw herself at Naru, ensnaring her in a bear hug. "Naru, you could have told me! I would've done something! _WE_ would've done something! I'm so sorry, Naru… I don't know how, but I'll make it up to you!"

"And not only do you not have to tackle these thorny issues alone anymore, kiddo, neither to the Sailor Senshi," said Wolverine, sitting down next to Naru as well. He popped out his claws again. Naru couldn't help but gawk at those razor-sharp, adamantium claws. "Contrary to popular belief, this ol' Canucklehead knows how to use these with surgical precision. It'll take me more time to get the feel of how things stand now in Japan's underworld 'cause of your antics. But since we're gonna be here for a stretch, Naru, I'll make time. Whether or not you choose to enroll in our school, we ain't leavin' until we find a way to get the yakuza off your mom's back. And _NOT_ drag the Yashida clan into this mess," he finished, smirking at Storm.

Naru stared at Wolverine in disbelief, eyes still drenched in tears. "Y-Y-You mean it? The X-Men are sticking around in Japan?"

"It's part of our agreement with Sailor Moon, Ms. Osaka," said Xavier. "Some of the team will remain here, as we wait for you to make a choice about enrollment."

"Yeah, it looks like the X-Men will be sticking around to help up smash up some Sentinels," said Venus.

"Trust us, you _DON'T_ want these things unleashed, Naru," said Mercury. "It's the… least we can do for you, after, well, making you feel neglected."

 _And freezing her, electrocuting her, nearly cleaving her in half, and dousing her with a weapon tailor-made to turn her power against her,_ Sailor Moon added silently, feeling another twinge of bitter shame. All these months, wondering just how to help Naru, but being too afraid to even take some baby steps. Only to find that her indecision made things even worse! Naru had needed her more than ever, both as Sailor Moon and as plain old Usagi Tsukino. But her hero and best friend just wasn't there in her time of greatest need. Instead, she attacked Naru with her tiara, leaving a scar! And now to find Naru was tempted by a dark path, just what she was hoping to avoid! But like Xavier said, it was important that Naru knew that she was there now, would finally try to make things right. _And now the X-Men are here too!_ Sailor Moon reminded herself. _Who knows better how to steer mutant kids away from the wrong path than them?_

Sailor Moon had to console herself with the hope that the X-Men would know what to do, because she couldn't think of anything else to do or say. What could she say, after everything that had happened? So she hugged Naru tighter, still sobbing, while Naru hung her head in shame as she cried as well.

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"This is a disaster!" Gai exclaimed as he paced around his aunt's secret office. In stark contrast, Erina Kizachi stood in pace, clearly somewhat flustered as her face was screwed up in concentration, but otherwise composed. "We were counting on the X-Men and the Sailor Senshi locking horns for a lot longer, weren't we? From what we've seen, now they've pretty much joined forces, and have sworn to come after your Sentinels!"

"Calm down, Gai," Kizachi said sternly. Even with those dark glasses, there was no ignoring the cold stare in her eyes. "Their leaders may have told them to make this truce work, but for the moment, both sides lack complete trust in the other. And Sailor Moon is not the effective leader she still believes herself to be. There is still time to act before it fully sinks in they have a common enemy."

"Weren't you the one who keeps saying what a mistake it is to underestimate Usagi Tsukino!?" Gai roared. "Besides, how much do they really need to trust each other? Now that they know Naru Osaka was Eclipse this whole time, they'll figure you have absolutely no superpowers whatsoever! Which would've been bearable if the Senshi and the X-Men were still at each other's throats, but now… To get to your Sentinels, they'll come right for you! Assuming Charles Xavier simply doesn't decide to take the information he wants from your mind, to save them the trouble!"

"And precautions have already been taken," Kizachi said calmly. "I haven't worked this hard, come this far, for it all to be undone because the Sailor Senshi learned the truth and allied themselves with Lehnsherr's rivals sooner than I anticipated.

The mere mention of the Master of Magnetism flustered Gai all over again, as it should. "What, you're counting on _HIM_ to protect you from their wrath?"

"Not entirely, but yes," said Kizachi simply. "Magneto's invested far too much into my operation to let it be uprooted so easily at this juncture. So stop worrying about me, my nephew. You should be more concerned with your own well being. Naru Osaka must've told the X-Men of the reason she became Eclipse by now. Which means the 'gaijin' will take it upon himself to further investigate yakuza activity. And who do you think he'll try sniffing out first?"

"I'd suggest listening to your aunt, Mr. Izumi. I would know better than anyone what ridiculous extremes are required to bring Wolverine to heel." Now that he finally announced his presence, both Gai and Kizachi turned in the direction of his voice. With the way Kizachi always kept her hidden office so dark, she seemed to naturally blend into it, despite often wearing a white lab coat. So with his outfit of dark red and purple, it had been a simple matter to stay hidden in the shadows as he observed his human 'allies'.

Kizachi merely looked a little shocked to see him so soon, while Gai, naturally, looked gobsmacked and terrified. As he should be. He must've known that sooner or later, he would come face-to-face with the Master of Magnetism, yet it still shook him to the core. Magneto stepped forward into what light there was, removing his helmet. Kizachi had quickly regained her composure, and stood by her desk without a hint of fear, even nodding in respect. Gai, meanwhile, couldn't keep his panic out of his voice. "What's _HE_ doing here!? How did he bypass all your security measures!?"

"By using the same security codes I gave you," Kizachi said simply. "He _IS_ our partner in this venture, after all. Besides, even if I hadn't, do you honestly believe any countermeasures of mine could keep _HIM_ out?" Not placated in the least, Gai edged closer to his aunt as Magneto advanced, as if to shield her from him. Kizachi picked up on this. "Honestly, Gai, you're going to get all chivalrous when _HE'S_ involved? For once, don't be an idiot. I told you which mutant you need to be more scared of. Get out of here, and lay low until I contact you again."

Gai stared back at Kizachi in disbelief, then glanced back at Magneto. Whether it was out of deference to his aunt or fear of him, Magneto wasn't quite sure, but Gai finally got the message and climbed up one of the ladders. Kizachi watched him go, then turned back to Magneto. "I don't know how you can keep all those Acolytes in line, Lehnsherr. I have my hands full keeping that one from doing something stupid yet again. But he did have a point. Usually when you pay me a visit, you're courteous enough to give me a heads-up. What's going on?"

"Your nephew elucidated it most succinctly," said Magneto, stepping close enough to loom over the roboticist. Kizachi still kept her composure. Magneto admired that, to an extent. "Things have taken an unfortunate turn. Just like when I fetched the components you needed to begin the final phase of mass production of your Sentinels from that ship at sea, I must now intervene due to Osaka disrupting yakuza activity at the shipyard. Granted, I couldn't swoop in and take what's needed just then, not with the X-Men and Sailor Senshi so close. Of course, now they've essentially joined forces anyway, as Izumi said, so perhaps I shouldn't have bothered waiting."

"Ah, a not-so-subtle implication that I've failed you," said Kizachi evenly. She walked around her desk and sat down. "We both knew we couldn't play the Senshi and the X-Men off each other indefinitely, Lehnsherr. That's more Essex's thing, correct? Them joining forces just happened quicker than we expected. And no, you know that sending another Sentinel would've done little good. Osaka already knows that I'm behind this new model, thanks to Tsukino, and would have turned her attention elsewhere. If Osaka's not making things chaotic for the yakuza to my benefit, and fomenting further distrust between mutants and humans for yours, there was no point in an awkward attempt to keep the two teams fighting each other. Plus, it looked like Wolverine deduced I was not Eclipse well before Tsukino unmasked her. Like it or not, we'd be forced to step up our timetables regardless of what I did tonight."

"I'll grant that through your manipulations, Naru Osaka has performed both tasks for us quite well," Magneto admitted. "Still, this turn of events is a cause for concern."

"I'll bet. You would know better than anyone what a handful a team of teenage superheroes can be," said Kizachi.

Magneto wasn't sure whether or not Kizachi was purposefully prodding him, or to what end if she was. Again, he sort of admired that a _Homo sapien_ had the courage to needle him so, but only to a point. At any rate, it showed she truly had the courage to cope with how two superhero teams would be gunning for her. "The tactical information you've provided after observing the Senshi for so long will help greatly. But I wasn't just speaking of them."

"Indeed. Naru Osaka is still vital, to both our goals," said Kizachi absentmindedly. She had turned her gaze from him, fidgeting with that Sumerian artifact on her desk. Mystique said it was up in her main office before. Why was she so fascinated by it? Regardless, Kizachi's preoccupation with it was a reminder of what motivated her, of why trusting this human was worth the risk. "Without her, my plans for Sailor Moon will crumble, and you want that spirited young mutant as a recruit."

"She's a mutant like no other, especially with what she's inherited from this Dark Kingdom," said Magneto. "But it's not just her unique array of mutant gifts. It's what her joining the Acolytes or the Brotherhood would symbolize."

"A complete repudiation of the idea that mutants and humans can coexist, anywhere in this world. Not to mention a repudiation of that drivel about love and justice that Sailor Moon always spews." Kizachi snorted as she turned her gaze away from him again. "Honestly Lehnsherr, hearing that speech of hers all the time… I get as sick of it as you must get of your old friend's prattle about said coexistence being possible."

"Which brings us back to the matter of how to proceed, now that the Sailor Senshi and the X-Men will be working together," said Magneto dangerously. Daring to talk about Charles Xavier, of a friendship left in tatters again and again… Magneto was not in the mood, and it was one thing he would not tolerate from Kizachi, ally or not.

Fortunately for her, Kizachi got the message and dropped it. "Well, like the first time the two teams butted heads, I clandestinely recorded footage to leak to the press. It'll create some friction, make things awkward, but not enough to divide them. The X-Men are no strangers to bad press."

"It will, however, serve to convince many mutants in Japan that the Sailor Senshi are not on their side," Magneto pointed out.

"And perhaps keep doubt alive within one Naru Osaka," added Kizachi.

"I'm not so sure. My old friend and his charges can be infuriatingly… persuasive," said Magneto.

"You underestimate how these last few months have weighed on Osaka," said Kizachi. "You've read the papers, the sheer vehemence behind her attacks on the yakuza. That won't vanish overnight just because fellow mutants are giving her hugs and well wishes, and the Senshi are trying in desperation to kiss and make up. There's a window of opportunity here, Lehnsherr, to play on Osaka's lingering doubt and frustration. It won't close too soon, but we must be careful when we jump through."

"I trust you have a plan?" Magneto asked dangerously.

"Well, yes, but it involves you sticking around in Tokyo a little longer, and not for the protection that Gai insinuated," said Kizachi.

"Still, I'm sure since both teams are aware of your antics, you wouldn't mind my remaining in Japan for a stretch," said Magneto. Though he could see the logic of where Kizachi was going, it sounded too much like her giving him orders. Their partnership was a rocky one. Kizachi wasn't exactly his subordinate, taking direct orders from him. But neither would he tolerate Kizachi getting the notion that he was to be led around by the nose. His trust of any _Homo sapien_ , even one whose goals aligned so closely with his, was _VERY_ conditional. Especially one from a country that once allied itself with Nazi Germany.

"I won't deny I won't sleep better knowing the Master of Magnetism has my back," said Kizachi airily. "But I'm just thinking that if anyone has a chance of making Osaka see how foolish it is to get her hopes up, it's you, if we plan this just right. Hope can be a dangerous thing, Lehnsherr. Once hopes are dashed after they rise too high, a soul can be shattered forever. I speak from experience. Right now, Xavier and Tsukino are flooding her heart with hope. Soon enough, you'll see the opportunity to break it."

"And by extension, break Sailor Moon's," Magneto pointed out.

"Thus, we both attain our individual wants," said Kizachi with a wicked grin. "I leave Usagi Tsukino a broken husk, and you'll be able to remold a broken Naru Osaka however you wish." Yes, it sounded good. Too good for Magneto's tastes, in fact. Erina Kizachi had sought him out with an offer he could not easily dismiss out of hand. But still, working so closely with any _Homo sapien_ entailed risk, even one with unique aims such as hers. Kizachi picked up on his dubiousness. "You're thinking this sounds too good to be true after such an unfortunate turn of events."

"I consider myself a prudent man, Kizachi," said Magneto. "Surely you think the same of yourself. After all, the Sentinels you're constructing are nearly immune to my power."

"All so no one in my country's government suspects a thing once I make my company's side operation public," Kizachi said with a smile. "Who would suspect the Master of Magnetism was partly responsible for a new breed of Sentinels almost completely devoid of metal?"

"And I'm sure such a design choice wasn't envisioned as insurance in case you felt our arrangement was going sour," said Magneto with mock sincerity.

"True, Lehnsherr. Despite what you may think, I'm not suicidal," said Kizachi calmly. "I have no intention of expiring until I see my plans reach fruition, and I finally see Sailor Moon's heart shattered beyond repair."

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Sailor Jupiter continued to pace around the Blackbird, forcing down her anxiety over aircraft through sheer force of will. It was so stupid, this lingering phobia about planes, even ones not going anywhere. It looked like the X-Men would be sticking close to the Hikawa Shrine, so they could work closely with the Senshi. So the engines were cold, powered down. Yet the gnawing fear would not go away.

In a strange way, Jupiter was grateful for the fear. Forcing it down gave her something to focus on, and kept her mind from wandering. If not for that, her thoughts would surely drift back to what happened tonight, and force her to face up to what happened. And Jupiter didn't think she could do that just yet.

Still, it wasn't like Jupiter could avoid the issue. As she paced around, her gaze would occasionally drift over the biobed where Naru still sat. Sailor Moon and Mars sat on opposite sides, Luna in the former's lap, while Professor Xavier had parked his wheelchair near the biobed. No doubt Sailor Moon was still going over the Senshi's entire history with Naru. Their past lives in the Moon Kingdom, their rebirth and struggle against Queen Beryl, and everything that followed.

At least now, Naru would finally have answers about Nephrite, not to mention what her old friend had been through over the last two years. Jupiter still wasn't thrilled about the X-Men's leader listening in. But Xavier would find out anyway, due to the exchange of information that was part of his deal with Sailor Moon.

It was still a little jarring, bringing another superhero team into this. The Sailor Senshi saved the world four times… Why did they need help now!? But Sailor Moon insisted that this time, the problem was too big to handle alone. Having seen what Sentinels were all about firsthand, Jupiter couldn't argue too much. There would be more of them, and Sailor Moon had the right idea, doing whatever she could to prepare. Plus, there was anti-mutant hysteria in general… Sailor Moon was right about that being a problem the Sailor Senshi never had to face before, but what could they do? What could anyone do?

As her gaze fell on Naru again, seeing the anxious, somber look in her eyes, Jupiter realized why Sailor Moon felt something had to be done. The feeling of being left out, ostracized… It was something Jupiter was all too familiar with, treated like a pariah by many, feared for her strength and not being shy about using it. Why did it take so long to see the similarity to what mutants faced? And this mess with the yakuza on top of those troubles. And what did Sailor Jupiter end up doing? Thrash her around and fry her with lightning.

 _But now Naru's got help,_ Jupiter told herself. _The X-Men can do for her what Usagi did for me. Show her she's not alone, keep her from sinking deeper into depression…_

"So I kept Chibiusa from going splat, and Nehelenia vanished back into the, well, the eclipse," said Sailor Moon uneasily, wrapping up how they triumphed over the Dead Moon Circus. "We thought the Sailor Senshi were finally in the clear, but now, it looks like we've got Sentinels to deal with."

"We will render what assistance we can, Sailor Moon," said Xavier. "Though from the sound of it, the X-Men's efforts may not be as vital as you believe. The Sailor Senshi have accomplished a great deal on their own already."

"It doesn't hurt to have backup, I suppose," said Luna. "Especially from people who've faced those things before." Jupiter couldn't entirely disagree. Granted, these Sentinels weren't the same ones the X-Men fought in the past. Thankfully, Mercury had plenty of scan data on this new Sentinel to pour over. Jupiter glanced over her shoulder. Shadowcat had joined Beast and Mercury in working on their computer interface. Despite herself, Jupiter felt her ire rise. She wouldn't forget the humiliating beatings those two mutants handed her anytime soon. That simmering frustration was only extinguished upon remembering just _WHY_ they fought so hard against her, and shame replaced anger once again.

"So this Nehelenia… She's still out there? Is there any chance she could come back?" Jupiter heard Naru ask. "It sounds like she packs as much power as Magneto, if it took this Golden Crystal to force her back."

"Honestly, I'm not sure," said Sailor Moon. "I… did feel a little sorry for her. At least the Amazoness Quartet learned their lesson, and have a shot at a better life. The Amazon Trio… sort of found redemption too."

"Which included that creep who triggered my X-gene," noted Naru. "Anyway, if they could all turn it around… What about me? What do I do for now? Professor Xavier, should I help with these Sentinels? I'm strong enough to…"

"Absolutely not, Ms. Osaka!" said Xavier quickly. "Groups of yakuza are one thing, but Sentinels are quite another. The Sailor Senshi only triumphed over this first Sentinel due to their experience in combat and in using their powers. You would need much training before I could consider you facing such a threat."

"You've been through enough, Naru. While Logan figures out how to keep the yakuza away from your family, the Sailor Senshi will cover the Sentinels. You won't have to worry about anything," said Sailor Moon, putting a hand on Naru's shoulder. "Just focus on what you need to do for yourself. I mean, think about it! Give it a little time, and you'll finally get to be a superhero!" That should have cheered Naru up, but Jupiter's heart sank upon seeing her mood didn't improve one bit.

"Yeah!" Mars chimed in. "We all know you wanted to be a Senshi, Naru. Well, now you can be the next-best thing!"

"Uhhh, I do recall the 'next-best thing' was holding their own against the Sailor Senshi just fine. And then some," said Shadowcat all of a sudden, sauntering up to the side of the biobed, smirking at Mars.

Mars turned to scowl at Shadowcat. "Says the girl who had to trap Jupiter inside a wall to eke out a win," she spat. Sailor Moon facepalmed. She desperately wanted this partnership to work, as did Xavier, but some on both sides were still more than willing to butt heads.

"Sailor Jupiter wasn't hurt by that trick," Shadowcat snarled. "As opposed to what you intended Sailor Mercury to try on my man. He's already…" Shadowcat stopped suddenly. Looking down over her shoulder, Shadowcat saw Chibi-Moon poking a finger at her back. "And just what are you doing?" Shadowcat barked irritably.

"Just how does it work? That phasing thing?" Chibi-Moon asked innocently. "You're completely solid now."

"Thanks to being able to turn it on and off," said Shadowcat.

"And if you go through solid matter, how come…" Chibi-Moon went on, but was stopped by Shadowcat.

"Oh no, don't give me the 'How do you not fall through the floor?' bit," snapped Shadowcat. "Oh, people think they're so clever when they ask that, as if they're getting me with a 'Gotcha!' question. How do I not fall into the Earth's core? _THIS_ is how." Shadowcat jumped up, and suddenly she was hovering about a meter off the Blackbird's floor. "I interact with air molecules while I'm phasing, not any physical surface," she explained as she danced backwards, her feet practically gliding on air.

"Wow, amazing…" muttered Mars.

"Yeah. Moonwalking is still a thing in America?" Jupiter chimed in.

As bizarre as Shadowcat's showing off was, it did diffuse the tension she helped cause moments before. Shadowcat got back to work on the interface, while Sailor Moon and Xavier turned their attention back to Naru. Jupiter stared at Naru a moment longer, wanting to say something to her, to apologize for unloading on her the way she did. But she couldn't. The shame and fear were just too much. Perhaps it was best Naru would probably go with the X-Men. Because just then, Jupiter felt she didn't deserve to work with Naru, not after how she fouled up. After how all the Sailor Senshi fouled up.

No, the X-Men were the mutants Jupiter would be working with. Even if the Senshi didn't need them, their involvement would make things go a lot more smoothly. Jupiter looked back to where Mercury was working. At least she was getting along with these mutants. Working alongside her idol was enough to make her giddy, but Mercury seemed to be bonding with Shadowcat as well. An X-Man close to her age, who also was a wizard with computers? This was hardly a surprise. Jupiter wondered if she could get over her lingering distrust of Shadowcat. If they had to fight more Sentinels, their lives might depend on it.

Apparently, Jupiter's musings didn't go unnoticed by Shadowcat. Shadowcat suddenly glanced her way while Mercury was typing some commands into her computer, which was still linked up to the Blackbird. "Kitty, it looks like we're done writing up an interface program for our separate computer systems," said Mercury cheerily. "We should start exchanging files regarding all our old enemies first. I know Usagi's eager to read more about…"

"Hold that thought, Ami," said Shadowcat. "I think there's something else that needs sorting out first." With that, she walked away from the computer terminal and over to Jupiter. "Look, it doesn't take a computer genius to figure out you're not happy with the idea of us working together."

Jupiter raised an eyebrow. "Is the feeling mutual?"

Shadowcat suddenly was nursing her jaw, and Jupiter swore she heard it pop. "If you can unload punishment like that on some dopes in the Brotherhood, not one bit," said Shadowcat. "It's basically an unwritten rule of the universe that the X-Men will have at least one dumb grudge match with every other superhero in existence. So when it's crunch time, we gotta learn to forgive and forget."

"Really? That sort of thing happens often?" asked Jupiter.

"With the Avengers over Magneto, with the Fantastic Four over, well, me… Yeah, it's pretty stupid how often it happens," said Shadowcat.

"Well, I admit the Senshi were being the stupid ones," Jupiter conceded. "I thought we had everything figured out, that we were going after a mutant that truly deserved a beating. To find out it was Naru instead of Kizachi…"

"Even superheroes make mistakes, Makoto," said Shadowcat. "At least now we know the truth, and we can help your old friend and still go after Kizachi."

"Hopefully you had a chance to pump her for information like you did me," said Jupiter.

Shadowcat scowled. "You're still upset about that? Look, we didn't know what to make of the Sailor Senshi just yet, or even if it was you that Cerebro was picking up by accident. Like I said, grudge matches with other superheroes happen disturbingly often, and the X-Men don't always have the best reputation. We just didn't know what we were walking into."

Jupiter scowled back at her. She couldn't really argue that point, not with how the Sailor Senshi had been floundering for answers this whole time. "You seemed quite concerned about Dr. McCoy, though, like you expected the worst for him."

"And he sure found you," said Shadowcat. "Look, Makoto, I'm more than willing to put this behind us if you are. I won't hold a grudge against a bruiser that thrashed around a friend once, because she didn't really know what she was getting into. If that was the case, I'd still hate Rogue's guts."

"Yet you seem quite determined to never forgive a certain fellow teacher," said Beast coyly, smiling at the pair. Shadowcat just grimaced, a dark look in her eyes. Whoever Beast was talking about, it was clearly someone Shadowcat loathed. Despite all her talk about forgiveness, the little ninja-genius could sure hold a grudge.

"So there are people you work with, but still refuse to trust," Jupiter pointed out.

"Thanks, Hank. Real helpful there," snarled Shadowcat. "Listen Makoto, if you're still mad about how we butted heads, how about we both get it out of our system?"

Jupiter blinked in surprise. "What are you talking about?"

"I'll admit it, you got some moves on you, and some serious power," said Shadowcat. "How about we try to learn from each other? No superpowers, no stakes. Just some straight-up sparring to blow off some steam."

"That's… actually a good idea," said Jupiter, surprised by the suggestion. If nothing else, it would help distract her in the coming days. And keep her skills sharp for when it was time to thrash their real enemies, not mistakenly beat down on a friend.

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Consciousness slowly drifted back to Michiru Kaioh, though she immediately wished it hadn't. She awoke to a sensation akin to her brain being crushed in a vise. Her eyes hadn't opened yet, but the pain made her screw them shut tighter. She moaned softly, trying to think despite the crushing pain. What happened to her? What were the Sailor Senshi doing before she blacked out? Why did it take so much effort to recall such things?

 _We were… hunting Eclipse… Set up an ambush for her…_ Michiru's mind slowly came back into focus, though jabbing pain still plagued her, made her keep her eyes shut. _It would have worked, but… THE X-MEN! They showed up and ruined everything! And one of them, Rogue, she…_

At last, Michiru's eyes snapped open. She tried to sit up despite the lingering migraine. That was when she discovered aches in just about all her muscles as well. She fell back onto wherever she lay with a thud, a loud moan escaping her lips. "Uhhh, what did that mutant do to me?" she demanded of no one in particular.

"Something that's mercifully wearing off, just like she promised," came Sailor Uranus's grateful voice. Forcing her eyes open again, Michiru looked up, seeing her partner standing over whatever bed she was put in after Rogue sapped her power.

She took note of where Wolverine had clearly cut into Uranus's fuku, and the dried blood which had dribbled down, and scowled. Fortunately for Wolverine, he hadn't cut too deep, otherwise the little man would have to answer to her as well as Rogue. Once the room stopped spinning, at any rate. Michiru craned her head up to gaze at her body. Indeed, her Senshi transformation had long since faded. Her mirror rested on her belly.

Michiru reached for the mirror, noticing the IV for the first time, along with the electrodes stuck all over her. Clearly, it was some sort of medical facility Uranus brought her to, but… _Wait, how come Sailor Uranus hasn't undone her own transformation?_ Squinting to banish her blurry vision, Michiru realized that wherever they were, it sure didn't look like any hospital. Some enclosed space, like… the inside of a plane? "Uranus, where did you take me? And Eclipse, the X-Men… what happened after Rogue sucked me dry?"

"This… is going to take a long time to explain. And you're not going to like most of it," Uranus said in a pleading voice. "I sure don't, but our princess was crystal clear about…"

Michiru heard someone grunt in frustration behind Uranus. From the muttered curses, it sounded like Sailor Jupiter. Michiru turned her head to see what was going on. Indeed it was Jupiter, her hands gripping the handles of some device worked into the walls of the plane or wherever Uranus took her. She was pulling some sort of cylinder out of the wall, gritting her teeth. Standing beside her was… Michiru's ire rose, and she would have bounded off her bed if every muscle in her body didn't ache so. Beast and Rogue were watching Jupiter, along with… "Wait. Uranus, what's Usagi's old friend Naru doing here!? With the X-Men no less!?"

"Like I said, a lot's happened while you were out," said Uranus evasively, glancing at the girl. She wore shorts and a black leotard, though there was some strange blotchy spot over her left shoulder. "Just keep watching. You'll get an answer soon, I think."

Michiru glowered at her partner in irritation, then turned back to Jupiter. A panel next to whatever Jupiter was pulling displayed some numbers that were constantly in flux. But when they finally locked in place, the number 1.6374 flashed.

"Impressive, my dear," said Beast. "But if you don't mind, let me check to see if it's properly calibrated before we gauge Ms. Osaka's strength." With that, Jupiter stepped aside for Beast. Michiru could sense her lingering unease around the big, blue mutant. He wrapped those huge hands around the handles and pulled. The numbers climbed again, this time stopping at 10.0667.

If this apparatus was to measure how much muscle power someone had, as Michiru supposed, then Mercury hadn't exaggerated one bit about her idol outclassing all the Senshi in brute strength. "This looks about right to me," said Beast, inspecting the readout before resetting the sensor. "Now, Ms. Osaka, let's see what you can do."

Naru glanced up at Beast timidly, then over to Rogue. "Go ahead, sugar. No harm in seeing just how strong you are."

Nodding meekly, Naru walked over to the device and grabbed the handles. She pulled, and Michiru's eyes widened upon seeing the readout immediately climb back up to ten. And it just kept going, past twenty, past thirty, past forty… Usagi's old friend, more than _FOUR TIMES AS STRONG_ as the Beast!? Jupiter's eyes bulged out in shock as well, though Beast and Rogue didn't look the least bit surprised. And it kept going up a little while longer, finally clocking in at 45.0827!

"I can't even… Naru can lift forty-five metric tons!?" Jupiter cried, gawking at the readout. Michiru didn't blame her. This little girl possessed such monstrous strength!? But the numbers didn't lie.

"Actually, the apparatus uses our units of measurement," said Beast. "In metric units, it's only about, oh, forty-one metric tons."

 **ONLY** _FORTY-ONE METRIC TONS!?_ Michiru thought incredulously. _This is madness. The only beings I know with such strength are… ROGUE AND COLOSSUS!_ That's when Michiru finally put it all together. Naru Osaka, also a mutant! This was why the rising tide of anti-mutant hysteria tore at Usagi's heart.

"Well sugar, keep benching them semi trucks," said Rogue, placing a hand on Naru's shoulder. Thankfully, she had put on new gloves. Michiru sure didn't want Rogue getting any stronger. "Soon enough, I might have another gal-pal I can arm wrestle."

"And then some, Rogue," said Beast. "Ms. Osaka has yet to reach full maturity. There is much potential for her powers to grow, perhaps exponentially. By the time you reach adulthood, Ms. Osaka, you may be well into Class 100 territory like Colossus."

Naru didn't seem too encouraged by that, as if she felt her current strength level was more than enough. This was hardly surprising to Michiru. She had read some of the psychology literature regarding kids who developed mutant powers, how it weighed on their psyche. Perhaps this was why Naru was now with the X-Men. They took her in upon Usagi's request. But what of their earlier conflict with the X-Men, over Eclipse?

"Haruka, as happy as I am that our princess's worries over her mutant friend may be over, there's still unfinished business," Michiru whispered. "Why does it look like the Sailor Senshi and the X-Men are working together now? What of Eclipse?"

"You were looking right at her," said Uranus darkly.

"What are…" Michiru began, but when she looked back over at Naru, she noticed something odd. Black goop, leaking down from underneath the sleeves, onto her wrists! "Haruka, please tell me my eyes are playing tricks on me. That we didn't…"

"We did," said Uranus as she shut her eyes, her voice full of shame and regret. "History repeated itself, Neptune."

Michiru looked back as Jupiter and Beast led Naru away, possibly to do tests on her other powers. The powers of the mutant monster Eclipse. "Haruka, how can this be!? How can this girl be the one connected to the Dark Kingdom, and not Erina Kizachi!? And why did she go on a rampage!?"

"She's connected to our ancient enemy by a freak twist of fate," said Uranus. "Mercury believes it happened when one of their generals died in Naru's arms, willing his power to be transferred to her. As for her one-woman war against all the yakuza, Naru did it to protect her mother from their harassment."

Michiru took a moment to digest all this. At least this meant there would be no resurgent Dark Kingdom. No, just one mutant with an axe to grind for the most basic of reasons, defending a loved one. This only made the realization that they had plotted against Usagi's friend even more horrific. Uranus clearly felt the same way, but she hadn't worked on the chemical weapon meant to bring Usagi's friend to heel. Michiru had. Michiru could only guess how that weighed on Mamoru's conscience. "I take it this is why the other Senshi have more or less made peace with the X-Men," Michiru muttered at length.

"More or less," repeated Uranus. "That, and our princess reached an agreement with their professor, even before we all learned the truth. They would take Eclipse off our hands, and we get all the information we need about their old enemies, plus a few of these mutants stick around to help crush the Sentinels. A good bargain, when you think about it. The Senshi stand to gain more. Once again, we underestimated just how worthy Usagi is to be our princess."

"Don't feel too bad," said Rogue suddenly. "Your princess had to knock some sense into us X-Men too." Michiru's eyes widened again as she craned her head back up. That life-sucking mutant was still there. If possible, Rogue felt more ashamed just then than Michiru did. "Don't worry, sugar. You won't have to look at my mug much longer. By noon tomorrow, I'll be out of your country."

"You're… not one of the X-Men staying with the Senshi?" asked Uranus. Michiru understood her partner's incredulity. Rogue's powers made her uniquely suited to tackle Sentinels.

Rogue shook her head. "Nope. The Blackbird's stayin' here, in case the fight with Magneto needs to be taken to Asteroid M. So yours truly is flying some of the others back across the Pacific. I can handle the chilliness up in the mid-troposphere. So can Bobby and Peter when they're transformed. Remy might need to bundle up, though, but we all know he'll just smile and joke about it the whole trip."

"Awww, no more tender moments between you and the Cajun. What a pity," said Michiru as she glanced up at Uranus, smirking.

Uranus shut her eyes and grimaced, but she didn't take the bait. She really was determined to make Usagi's deal with the X-Men work. At length, she said, "Any special reason your entire team cannot stay?"

"Important as it is to lay the smackdown on these Sentinels and put the brakes on whatever Magneto's cookin' up in the Land of the Rising Sun, the X-Men can't commit too much manpower to one spot for long," explained Rogue. "We got dancin' partners besides the buckethead and those tin cans. We were lookin' at some mystical energy poppin' up in the Rockies before Xavier hauled us all here. Doctor Strange hasn't confirmed what it is yet, so we're just operatin' on the assumption it's a Mojoworld incursion. And we never know when Sinister and them Marauders'll pop up again, or Apocalypse with a new Four Horsemen."

"The X-Men certainly have made a lot of enemies," said Uranus with a devilish smirk.

"Kitty and Mercury've finished an interface to swap data. So you'll be able to read all about 'em, in case any come trying to knock down Tokyo Tower or somethin'," said Rogue.

Perhaps Uranus was right. The Sailor Senshi were getting a wealth of tactical information out of Sailor Moon's arrangement. _And perhaps, it's wholly necessary,_ mused Michiru. _The X-Men, and their allies over in the United States… The Senshi have been insulated from the machinations of their enemies thus far. In hindsight, it was foolish to believe such conflicts wouldn't spill over into our midst._

"Anyway, it's not like you two need to pretend you won't be glad to see my backside," Rogue went on. "Not bein' able to control what happens when I touch someone stopped bein' an excuse a long time ago."

Rogue was right about not soon forgetting how it felt like her very life was leeched away. But after a moment, the true gravity of Rogue's words sank in for Michiru. "No control… You mean, that _ALWAYS_ happens when you make contact with someone's skin!?" Rogue merely nodded, the sorrow of that admission speaking volumes enough. "No wonder you looked so horrified when you touched me by accident…"

"Wait a minute," Uranus cut in. "Does that mean, you and Gambit… You can't touch him at all!?"

"Well, there's been a time here and there but, yeah," Rogue admitted. "I… had a glimpse of what you two got, when I touched Neptune. Trust me, it's something you gotta cherish."

Just when it looked like Michiru could forgive Rogue, even pity her, she had to go and spill that her power let her absorb memories as well as power. Scowling at her, she demanded, "So what else did you glimpse inside my head?"

Rogue stared thoughtfully at the pair for a moment. "Honestly? That you don't find the idea of us mutants possessin' power that rivals yours kosher."

"Can you blame us for feeling that way?" demanded Uranus. "You were in Michiru's mind, you know about the Outer Senshi and their duty. It's going to be hard to accept there are so many beings in this age that can match us."

"I suggest you try, sugar," said Rogue darkly. "There's plenty stronger than me and Colossus. Like Hulk, or the Juggernaut. And in terms of raw power, hardly anyone can touch Magneto."

"We understand the wisdom behind Sailor Moon's deal with your professor, Rogue. We will honor it, despite our personal feelings," Michiru said quickly. _But if our princess gets a chance to unload on Magneto with the Ginzuishou, you may have to eat some of your words,_ she added silently.

"I do hope so. Do forgive me for sayin' so, but you and Haruka have rightfully earned a reputation for bein' bullheaded," said Rogue. "Then again, I can't really talk. I did way worse before I joined up with the X-Men." Michiru wanted to demand Rogue tell her just what that was, but there had been enough sniping. For now, she could only guess it involved how she came to possess power from an alien source, permanently. "But you two genuinely want to do the right thing, even if you got some screwy methods. So I ain't too worried about leavin' you two to watch my friends' backs when push comes to shove, I suppose."

This wouldn't be the most amicable of partings. Yet it was close enough to an apology and a vote of confidence for Michiru, and she sensed Uranus felt the same. Perhaps this alliance wasn't doomed to fail before it began after all.

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After so much collapsed all around Sailor Moon's ears in the last few days, this was a welcome relief. Almost two hours had passed since she broke up the fight between the X-Men and the Sailor Senshi. So far, despite the palpable, lingering tension she picked up from her fellow Senshi, things hadn't come to blows again. Even that little brat Chibi-Moon kept her big fat mouth in check for whatever reason, refraining from spouting off at Cable. Perhaps the best indicator things might work out, however, was how Uranus didn't start another fight after coming face-to-face with Rogue again. The X-Man who sapped Neptune's power and very life force, shortly after landing a blow that might've knocked Uranus over to Tokyo Tower. Not to mention, Uranus still sported other marks from the fight, namely where Wolverine slashed through her fuku. Yet the Senshi of Wind kept a lid on the simmering frustration Sailor Moon was certain she still harbored.

Whether that was due more to being humbled after realizing how badly the Senshi screwed up, or genuine respect for her wishes, Sailor Moon wasn't sure. And she didn't care either way. All that mattered was that they had the X-Men behind them now. Naru would have the guidance she needed, and the Senshi could prepare themselves for the Sentinels, or possibly keep any more from being completed.

There was plenty of reason to be hopeful. Yet somehow, Sailor Moon got the feeling something was still going to go wrong. Horribly wrong.

At least, for the moment, things looked stable. Shadowcat and Sailor Mercury had already finished setting up an interface with the Blackbird's systems and the latter's computer. Soon enough, the Senshi would have information on all the X-Men's enemies. After devouring all the material her father had collected on them, she was eager to learn even more. Judging by how the news reports on the Senshi barely ever scratched the surface… Just how much more was there to the X-Men's battles, their missions?

Perhaps the Senshi would learn enough to prevent a catastrophe. Sailor Moon wanted to feel hopeful. Hope usually came so easily, something she could never truly abandon. Now something still nagged at her soul, despite how it looked like things were finally coming together.

"You seem troubled, Ms. Tsukino," came Storm's voice all of a sudden. Sailor Moon turned to see the X-Men's field commander stroll out of the cockpit. Even out of uniform and sporting bandages to cover wounds from battle, Storm still exuded a regal air. But there was a gentleness to her as well, despite being around the ones who clashed with her team, which belied her potentially frightful power. Unlike their first meeting, Sailor Moon felt completely at ease around her now. Yet, that nagging sense of dread remained.

"Just… trying to convince myself I shouldn't worry so much," Sailor Moon admitted. "Storm, you've… led the X-Men almost as much as Cyclops, right? And done it longer than I've been the Senshi's leader. Do you ever get scared? Or worry something's going to slip out of your control?"

"Only a fool has no fears when it comes to what we do, Sailor Moon," said Storm. "Yes, I freely admit sometimes I fear for the future, that I won't pull through for my friends. All I can do is prepare the best I can, but no plans are foolproof. Look at what happened tonight. Both teams miscalculated badly."

"But usually, you don't make mistakes, right?" asked Sailor Moon. "Everything I've read about you… The X-Men always seem to pull through. You've gotten them through just about everything."

"You've led the Sailor Senshi through trying times as well, judging by what we've pieced together from reports," said Storm, laying a reassuring hand on Sailor Moon's shoulder. "I suppose I'll learn more soon enough. The point is, you shouldn't worry about comparing yourself to me."

"Still, I bet there's a lot I could learn from you, Storm," said Sailor Moon.

"Yet you had the wisdom to try keeping our two teams from fighting altogether, while I sought to take advantage of how preoccupied you were. Going against my instincts as I did so, no less," said Storm. "Perhaps it is I who'll learn more after we finish exchanging information."

"Glad I can help somehow," said Sailor Moon dully. She was sure Storm was sincere, yet it did little to improve her mood. She looked back to the rear of the Blackbird. Cable and Xavier were both talking to Naru. Despite Storm's reassurances, Sailor Moon still felt that if Naru went ahead with being a superhero, she was better off on their team than hers.

Guessing what still weighed on her mind, Storm said, "You still feel guilt over not knowing what to do for your friend for so long." Sailor Moon could only nod. "You shouldn't, Sailor Moon. You returned her favor by keeping her secret. And your heart was in the right place all this time."

"Yet I couldn't think of anything to do. And the whole time, yakuza were harassing her mother," said Sailor Moon, feeling ashamed all over again. "The Sailor Senshi always seemed to stay on top of Queen Beryl's antics and everyone who came after. We always kept Naru safe from their goons. But something as simple as a yakuza group making life hell for her family? Went right under our radar. How did it get this bad, Storm? Did that sort of thing ever happen to you when you're in charge?"

"I see we have much more we can discuss, Sailor Moon," said Storm. "Come, perhaps a little fresh air will help as well." Storm led Sailor Moon to one of the Blackbird's side exits. Just as well, as she couldn't bear meeting Naru's gaze again just yet.

Right before reaching the door, Sailor Moon passed Iceman. He seemed so carefree, much like herself when there were no bad guys to worry about. It was hard to believe he had been fighting Magneto since the beginning. "Hey Iceman, there's… stuff I'd like to ask you too," Sailor Moon said sheepishly. She was afraid Iceman was in no mood to talk after fighting the other Senshi, but he merely shrugged his shoulders and followed them outside.

"I'll bite, squirt. What're you curious about?" asked Iceman as the three of them stepped out into the shadow-shrouded forest behind the shrine.

"Well, it's just that… You see, my father was there that day the world first saw you as Iceman," explained Sailor Moon. "He was a reporter covering the Cape Citadel crisis. He's followed you guys for a long time. So when he recently told me all about the X-Men it, well, gave me some hope, I guess."

"Glad to know we at least got a few fans out there," Iceman said with a chuckle. "So what is it you wanna know?"

"It was a big deal, that day you first fought Magneto, from what he's told me," said Sailor Moon. "I guess what I want to know is, well, what was it like? And were you scared, going on that first mission?"

Iceman chuckled to himself again. "Sailor Moon, back then, I was too dumb to be all that scared. Sort of like what Storm was trying to tell you."

"I envy you," said Sailor Moon morosely. "Every time Luna would drag me into a fight with a youma in those early days, I was scared out of my mind."

"As for fighting Magneto, well, it wasn't easy," Iceman went on. "We were able to surprise him and stay one step ahead, thanks to all our training. And there were quite a few close calls on that first mission. Not that I couldn't keep a cool head and whip up some icy defenses for my teammates," he said with a smirk. "But then Magneto came back with his Brotherhood, and each time it got harder and harder to drive him back. I guess it didn't take long for the stakes to really sink in for me."

"And for a time, it looked like Magneto truly had seen the error of his ways," Storm added. "But in recent years, he's gone back to his old ways. Rebuilt his orbital station, recruited new followers and forged a partnership with the current Brotherhood."

"And now, the Senshi might be stuck in the middle of whatever he's cooked up next, probably with Erina Kizachi," muttered Sailor Moon.

"That's what the X-Men are here for though, kiddo," said Iceman. "Granted, I won't be sticking around in Japan to help stick it to the buckethead if he shows. You've got your own ice manipulator anyway, who's as smart as Hank no less, so I guess I won't be missed."

"Still, it'd be nice if you could stay a little longer. It would mean the world to my father, seeing two of the original X-Men after all these years," Sailor Moon pointed out.

"Oh, you're something else, Tsukino," said Iceman. "If your friend's anything like you, I think she'll fit in at the school just fine."

"Yeah, your school," muttered Sailor Moon. "Yeah, it's best for Naru to be around her own kind from now on. Instead of here, where hatred of her kind is getting out of control, and I have no idea how to stop it. That was another reason I came to all of you. I hoped you might have advice about that. It's maddening. The Senshi worked so hard to keep Japan safe, but now everything's coming apart and I have no idea what to do. For Naru, for anybody."

There was an awkward pause as Storm and Iceman carefully considered their answer. It had been heartbreaking, learning from Xavier that the X-Men had no simple solution for turning back this tide of hate. Neither the Ginzuishou nor Xavier's telepathy were of any real use there.

"There's one thing that must be made clear, Sailor Moon. And that's that you shouldn't consider yourself unworthy of being in Naru's life anymore because you're not 'her own kind.' That's not the X-Men's philosophy, that mutants and humans must stay apart," said Storm.

"Something tells me it's not the Sailor Senshi's either," added Iceman. "Guardians of love and justice and all that."

"Precisely, Robert. Usagi, you still refuse to give yourself enough credit," said Storm. "Patching things up with Naru as she makes her choice will take time and effort, as will whatever solution our teams come up with for what's plaguing Japan, if there's one to be found. But I sense you have a strength of spirit that _WILL_ help us find one. This isn't my first mission in Japan, Usagi, but it's still your home. Your country's ills that you seek to remedy. The X-Men will do whatever we can to aid you, but I truly feel it will be you leading the way for those of us who remain, not the reverse."

Despite her lingering doubts, Sailor Moon couldn't help but smile. Here was the leader of another superhero team. Smarter and more skilled, the type of woman Sailor Moon typically looked up to and aspired to be. And yet she hinted that in the coming days, she would defer to her. It was absurd, but here was the X-Men's leader, ready to follow her.

It was almost enough to banish her doubts, her fears that something would still go horribly wrong.

Almost.

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Funny Rogue mentions Mr. Sinister and the Marauders, because a friend of mine would really like a crossover story from me using them. I do plan on making Mr. Sinister and Queen Beryl the villains if I ever do a sequel, but if I do, it would be fun to make Arclight a rival for Naru. Their strength level is about the same (around 50 tons), and Arclight's shockwave generation creates some light, a contrast to Naru's dark energy. Plus, Arclight's origin as a shellshocked Vietnam veteran would make a rivalry with someone of Asian descent believable. Hell, I'm even considering using Arclight in _THIS_ story, using the plotline of Magneto finding Mr. Sinister's cloning facility and then recruiting her.

And speaking of Magneto, which voice do you guys hear when you read Magneto's scenes in this story? So many people have portrayed my absolute favorite comic book villain, but personally, I like to imagine his lines here voiced by Christopher Judge, despite envisioning Patrick Stewart and Hugh Jackman's voices for Professor X and Wolverine. Even though I didn't really like what I saw of _X-Men Evolution_ , mad props to the Master of Magnetism sharing an actor with Teal'c from _Stargate SG1_. That's as awesome as Professor X sharing an actor with Jean-Luc Picard. And hot damn, if there actually _WAS_ an official Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover anime, Christopher Judge would make seeing Magneto fighting a bunch of superpowered Japanese schoolgirls _WORK_. Or, even more terrifying, that voice for Magneto making a pitch to Naru, convincing her to join him.

So long,

Grey-X


	16. Off the Rails

Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 16: Off the Rails

10-31-2017

By Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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Rei's eyes slowly fluttered open as the early rays of dawn crept into her bedroom. This previous night and the last had, mercifully, given the Shinto priestess restful, dreamless sleep. Which was surprising, given all that had happened to the Senshi, and the tough times that doubtlessly lay ahead, despite having new allies. Never mind how said allies proved their worth by locking horns with the Sailor Senshi, battling them all to a standstill. That is, until Usagi and the X-Men's founder showed up and told them to knock it off.

She still had mixed feelings about Usagi's arrangement with the X-Men. Their Blackbird was still hidden behind the shrine. One of the most dangerous superhero teams from the other side of the world, practically camping in her backyard. Rei hated to admit it, but she still found that a little disconcerting. Still, in hindsight, getting help from those who fought Sentinels countless times was such an obvious choice, it was ridiculous how that meathead Usagi was the only one who figured it was worth pursuing. Then there was the reason Usagi tracked them down in the first place: Naru.

 _If only Usagi had told us. Maybe we could've done something for her. Figured out her mother was being harassed by yakuza and stepped in,_ Rei mused as she slowly sat up. In a way, she understood what gnawed at Naru's heart all too well. All the whispered comments when people thought Rei couldn't hear, the anxious stares of those unnerved by stories of her spiritual powers… And now with so many in Japan growing fearful of mutants, it was little wonder Naru was so terrified of her secret ever getting out. _And now there's such bitterness in Naru, because she feels we neglected her. And what did we end up doing? Try to blow her away. How do we make things right, after all that?_

Her eyes finally opening fully upon sitting up, Rei was greeted with a most unwelcome sight. A pair of alien eyes staring back at her, and breath that carried an unfamiliar, noxious smell wafting up her nostrils. For a moment, Rei just stared wide-eyed at the alien dragon who had perched himself on her knees, staring back at her curiously. Then, with a scowl and a scream, Rei shoved Lockheed away. The little dragon snarled in protest. "Ugh, Lockheed, any special reason you're in here!?" demanded Rei as he fluttered about. "Just because Kitty's our ally now doesn't mean you can barge in on us anytime. Especially in a place that's not exactly fireproof."

"Don't worry, Rei. I've been keeping an eye on him," came Artemis's voice. Rei turned to see Minako's cat partner glaring over at the fluttering dragon. Lockheed promptly landed in front of Artemis, glaring into the cat's eyes as he had done with Rei moments ago. The tension that lingered between those two was still palpable. Artemis still had some lingering doubts about the X-Men, so little wonder he hadn't yet gone back with Minako.

"Whatever, just make sure Yuuichirou and my grandfather don't see him," said Rei as she got out of bed. After throwing on a clean shrine maiden outfit in the bathroom, Rei made her way outside. The sun hadn't completely emerged over the horizon, so a chill still hung in the morning air. Which made Rei aware of some aches that still lingered from the other night. To think, that Iceman guy packed such power, cold that seeped into the marrow of her bones, the Senshi that commanded flames! _But he's out of the country now. So are Rogue and Gambit, the Outers' two least-favorite X-Men. So maybe they won't be so edgy when our teams assemble again,_ Rei reasoned.

Still, the X-Men who remained weren't exactly staying out of sight. Rei caught a glimpse of two figures clad in training gis, going at it in the grass not too far from the front of the shrine. At first glance, one might guess they were twins, given one wasn't much taller than the other, and both sported brown hair tied back in ponytails. But upon further inspection, one would notice the Caucasian features of the shorter girl.

"Ugh, those two are at it again!?" Rei demanded of no one in particular. It was Kitty's idea to have these sparring sessions, to get any lingering frustration out of their systems. Evidently, Makoto was far more miffed with Kitty than Rei could ever be with Iceman. Makoto came at Kitty with a howl, but Kitty sidestepped and grappled her to the ground, using Makoto's momentum and mass against her. But Makoto's strength, even while not transformed, meant Kitty couldn't hold her for long. Before Kitty could get Makoto's arms in a lock, she shoved Kitty off. Kitty sprang right back up, blocking a series of kicks Makoto launched at her face.

Rei winced a little. It would be a miracle if Kitty wasn't bruised all over after these sparring sessions. Yet this was something both insisted upon. Mamoru once said harsh collisions were sometimes necessary for two hearts to understand each other. Hopefully, this meant that Sailor Jupiter and Shadowcat would understand each other very well.

"Ahh, such youthful energy," came her grandfather's voice all of a sudden. Rei hadn't noticed him and Yuuichirou were standing at the front of the shrine as well. Unsurprisingly, her grandfather was paying _VERY_ close attention to the girls' sparring match. "And much easier on the eyes than the other one who's sticking around."

"I'll second that," Yuuichirou said. Rei was about to bean him good, but then he added, "This other guy who you took on as a temp… Seriously, he's spooky."

"Other guy? Temp?" Rei muttered. Looking around, Rei spotted someone else seated on the front balcony, some distance away from her grandfather and Yuuichirou. Rei froze in shock, mouth hanging open as she saw Logan sitting there, wearing the outfit of a Shinto priest trainee. He hadn't taken notice of Rei, nor was he watching his fellow X-Man spar with Makoto. He just… sat there, staring straight ahead. Was he meditating? No, Rei could sense he was quite mindful of all his surroundings.

Still, Rei wanted to know what this was all about. As she approached, it struck her how enigmatic this whole situation was. How could Logan stick out like a sore thumb, sitting there like that, yet still give the impression that he belonged? Tranquility wasn't a word one would use to describe the mutant fighting machine known as Wolverine, yet as he sat there, 'tranquility' fit the man perfectly. There was still a hardness to him as he stared ahead, but somehow sitting there like that made him look thoughtful, and almost vulnerable.

"What're you doing out here?" Rei hissed. "Getting Grandpa to take you in as a temp, Logan? Come on, way to keep a low profile."

"Just fulfilling our end of the bargain," Logan whispered back, still staring straight ahead.

"Your… end of the bargain?" Rei echoed dubiously.

"You Senshi are our allies now," said Logan. "It sounds like Kizachi's figured out who all of you are, and if she's workin' with Magneto, his whole cabal might know too. I'm standin' watch, darlin'. If any of 'em comes to mess with the Senshi or their headquarters, they mess with me." The hard edge to those final words could not be ignored.

Rei didn't know what to say. Minako had made it sound like the Wolverine was a wild animal, lusting after battle. Yet here he was, a quiet guardian, content to let a fight come to him instead of seeking out conflict. And she was still mystified by how that outfit looked like it belonged on Logan, despite how he looked so out of place sitting there. She still wished to know how he understood the Japanese so well, but something told her it still wasn't the right time.

"In the meantime, Cable's got the Tsukino place covered from a distance, now that we're all back from Kizachi Technologies," Logan went on. "Me and Kitty were lookouts for Ororo. She was tryin' to break in. It wasn't easy, even with Ororo's thieving talents."

"I thought Gambit was the X-Men's thief," said Rei.

"He's _a_ thief among the X-Men, not our only one," said Logan. "Anyway, as for me, I'm here only until the Professor wakes up and can keep track of everyone." Rei forced herself to stand firm. She wouldn't let Logan think the thought of such a powerful mutant telepath residing right behind the shrine still made her anxious. "It shouldn't be much longer. Once he can take over, me and Kitty got some business elsewhere."

"What, more intel gathering regarding the yakuza?" asked Rei delicately.

"Did some more of that last night. Soon enough, I'll get back to it," said Logan simply. "But in the meantime, there's other stuff I gotta do regarding Osaka. Your princess thinks she's a good fit for the X-Men? Well, she's had time to calm down after what happened the other night. High time we stated our case. Let her decide."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The sun finally rose, and much work was left to do in the house. Yet Ikuko could not pull her gaze away from the television. She stood there in the middle of the living room, suffering from déjà vu. Here was yet another morning news report about anonymously donated footage showing a fight between the Sailor Senshi and the X-Men. Only this time, it was in the middle of a shipyard, rather than some back alley. And the devastation left behind in the wake of those two teams clashing was extreme. Something the newscaster did not hesitate to emphasize, though she seemed quite intent on pinning the bulk of the blame on the X-Men.

"A good chunk of the shipyard is in shambles after the mutants from overseas once again took on the Sailor Senshi, with over a score of cargo containers destroyed and one of its cranes damaged beyond repair," said the news anchor. Ikuko's hands flew to her mouth as she watched a woman in an eerie black suit fly, calling down lightning against a Sailor Senshi standing atop a crane. She thought only one of the other Senshi could do that! Her, and the supposed Asgardian thunder god with the Avengers. Yet here was someone _BORN_ with that power due to a genetic quirk, not magic. And she was only one mutant among millions and millions!

More footage was shown of Senshi fighting the mutants. A man made of ice, creating a 'slide' to travel on, shooting blasts of cold down at Sailor Mars! One struck her shoulder, making her shriek. It looked like Sailor Mars's arm went numb for a moment. Thankfully, Sailor Mercury was there too. She conjured piledriving tendrils of icy water from a harp that smashed apart his ice slide, and knocked him silly. After he hit the ground, Mars returned the favor by clipping the ice guy's shoulder with a blazing arrow, while Mercury generated fog to stymie a man of _SOLID METAL_ flanking them. He was much quicker than he looked, however. He managed to grab Mercury and toss her against the side of a van, so hard the windows shattered.

 _I can't believe it… How dare they go after the Senshi like this!?_ Ikuko wondered silently as the newscaster went on. A man of metal, a man of ice… To think, there were so many people out there like this! It made Ikuko queasy, but as she thought back to that man of ice... _Wait a minute, didn't Kenji say there was an X-Man like that, went they first went after Magneto!?_ After Usagi's outburst the other day, she asked Kenji about that. Ikuko had thought he'd never stop, going on and on about how the X-Men drove Magneto off in only a few minutes, after the American soldiers were rendered helpless for almost a day!

But Magneto was still around, and perhaps even in Japan! The very thought made Ikuko's knees weak. Weren't the X-Men still supposed to go after him? Yet they were constantly fighting the Sailor Senshi instead. It didn't sound like her husband would see it that way. He was disheartened by how they were butting heads with Japan's defenders, yet he hadn't lost faith in them. And that obviously rubbed off on Usagi.

Usagi losing it the other day shook Ikuko to the core. What made her daughter explode like that? Usagi demanded to know what she would do if turned out she and Shingo were mutants. The hell of it was Ikuko truthfully still didn't know. She loved her children dearly, and would still love them if they wound up being… different. But if Ikuko was honest with herself, she had to admit she had no idea how such a revelation would affect her. All those stories of parents rejecting their children… Ikuko would refuse to go that route. But Usagi raising such an uncomfortable question forced Ikuko to think long and hard. She truly was growing fearful of these mutants, but if Usagi was born different like they were, how could she justify trusting in her, yet fearing the rest?

The doorbell ringing snapped Ikuko out of her troubled thoughts. Before she could even take a step, she heard Shingo say, "I'll get the door!" She then heard the door open, followed by a shriek of surprise from her son.

Eyes widening, Ikuko rushed out of the living room and toward the front door. Shingo had stumbled and fallen back upon opening it. Ikuko looked to see what had startled him, and barely suppressed a shriek herself.

Standing in the doorway was this big, blue, monstrous being, wearing a suit that belied his fiendish appearance. Though he was… smiling, as if nothing was amiss. He wasn't alone, either. At his side was a girl only a few years older than Usagi from the looks of it, and a gruff-looking little man, barely the girl's height! Both of them looked like they were from the West, and that monstrous beast showed himself to be as well, suddenly speaking with what was definitely an American accent. Yet, he spoke Japanese! Perfect Japanese!

"I apologize for the intrusion at such an early hour, madam, but Usagi Tsukino agreed to accompany us this morning, and we're here to pick her up," said the blue-furred beast. Ikuko was still flummoxed, but then, something clicked in the back of her mind. Kenji said that one of the original X-Men, the Beast, grew blue fur later on, taking on an even more monstrous appearance. Could this be him?

Shaking her head as if to banish her unease, Ikuko stepped forward, reaching down to hoist Shingo back on his feet. "And you… Correct me if I'm wrong, but are you Dr. Henry McCoy, the world-famous biochemist?" Ikuko managed to get out. As she waited for an answer, Ikuko realized she was holding Shingo close. She fervently hoped that these three didn't pick up on that.

"Why, I most certainly am," said McCoy amicably. "I'm here with fellow instructors at our school, Logan and Kitty Pryde." The two with him… They both did a quick bow. They observed Japanese mannerisms as well? In a way, encountering Westerners who understood her language and culture so well was just as surprising as suddenly coming face-to-face with a mutant. And those other two, were they also mutants? "We're on a… recruitment drive of sorts while we're conducting business in your country," McCoy went on.

"Recruitment drive?" Shingo echoed dubiously. "Don't tell me you actually think my dumbass sister can sit in your classes…"

"Well, it's not exactly Usagi who's being offered enrollment," said Kitty. "It's a friend of hers, and she's offered to come along so she can help make a decision."

"In any case, don't sell your sister short," added Logan. "The kid's made of sterner stuff than you realize."

It was then that there was a sharp, resounding wail from the floor above. "AHHHH! Dr. McCoy is here already!? Oh, I'm so behind!" The next thing Ikuko knew, her daughter appeared at the top of the stairwell. But in her haste, she tripped, and wound up descending the stairs by bouncing on her butt the whole way down, crying in pain the whole time.

For a moment, all of them could only stare awkwardly where Usagi had fallen. As Usagi rubbed her aching behind, Shingo said, "Well, maybe you got a point about 'sterner stuff'…"

Ikuko, meanwhile, kept staring down at her daughter. She recalled how some time ago, she regretted seeing her drift away from her old friend Naru Osaka. Instead, she spent more time with girls with shady reputations, like Rei Hino and Makoto Kino. Yet when Ikuko got to know those girls, she found the frightful rumors surrounding them to be nothing but vapor. Maybe these three had a point. Maybe Usagi was, in a way, wiser than she was. She clearly saw that mutants, as a whole, were worth sticking up for. Ikuko wondered if Usagi would wind up teaching her a thing or two.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 _Umino stared up at the American standing in his doorway, who smiled down at him slyly. His father was working another late shift, and his mother was out of town on business, so Umino was quite alone. That was for the best, as it turned out. This Remy LeBeau brought some unwelcome news. He looked exhausted and battered, and reeked of seawater, yet delivered his news with a wry smile all the same._

" _W-W-W-What are you talking about?" demanded Umino, doing his best to play dumb. To not let it show that his worst fears might be realized. "W-W-Who are you anyway? H-H-How do you know about my girlfriend? Why are…"_

" _No need to play dumb, Umino. Your lady's secret is safe with us," LeBeau cut in. Umino just scowled back at him, not trusting him at all. "Because, y'see, your lady and I, we got somethin' in common." With that, LeBeau whipped out of a playing card seemingly from nowhere. After holding it a few seconds, it began to glow, and Umino noticed his eyes gave off a black and pink glow of their own. Despite his resolve, Umino took a step back. There was no telling what this power of LeBeau's could do._

 _Thankfully, nothing destructive, at least not here. LeBeau tossed it into the air, and the card crumbled into ash in a flash of light. "I can charge whatever I touch with pure kinetic energy. Charge it up enough, and a single card can total a car, or even a mansion," explained LeBeau. "Sort of like how your lady can take apart something a dozen different ways."_

 _It sank in that playing dumb was useless on this guy, but mutant or not, Umino still didn't really trust him. There were bad mutants out there as well as good. Plus, he looked like that guy on the news, one of the three X-Men who went after Naru. Until he was sure of what he wanted from the two of them…_

" _Long story short, we figured out she's the one callin' herself Eclipse," LeBeau went on. "And before you go getting all flustered, her secret's safe, like I said. We got somethin' to offer her. Her and you both."_

" _OK, I'll play along," said Umino anxiously. "What is it?"_

" _Well, actually, it's not exactly the same thing for the both of you," LeBeau admitted. "Anyway, since you're a smart kid, you'll piece it together once the press gets wind of what just went down at the shipyard, so I'll just tell it to you straight." Umino tried to keep his eyes from widening. For days, Naru had talked about intercepting yakuza bribing shipyard workers in order to make a clandestine delivery. "I'm one of the X-Men, and we're offering your girl a slot on our team."_

 _So he just came out and said it. With all the research he had done on mutants in his zeal to help Naru, Umino naturally came across copious material on the X-Men. The infamous mutant group branded as outlaws by many, but was always there to tackle mutants abusing their powers, especially Magneto. And now, they wanted Naru in their ranks? Well, she was tough enough for the job, that was for certain. Yet Umino doubted that would interest her much. Every day was now a struggle to keep her life in Tokyo from falling apart! The stress of actually being a superhero might be an offer Naru could easily refuse._

" _Let's assume that, yes, my girlfriend's a mutant, and she would agree to join you," Umino said in a reserved tone. "What's that got to do with me? I don't have any mutant powers…"_

" _Well, Naru said you've got a big brain in a head screwed on right," LeBeau said with a grin. "That's why you'd be a shoo-in for this." LeBeau reached into his coat and pulled out a stack of papers. No, not just papers, big fat brochures. He handed then to Umino who, despite himself, flipped through them eagerly._

" _The… Xavier Institute for Higher Learning?" he said dubiously, looking it all over. The late hour, and the shock of Naru's secret getting out, dulled his thought process. But soon enough, the name clicked. "Wait a… Charles Xavier's school!? The guy who literally wrote the book on human mutation!?"_

" _And founded the X-Men. He be a mutant too, Umino," said LeBeau. Umino stared back up at the American in utter shock. "The school's a front for our other operations. But while the X-Men are all mutants, that don't mean the regular students all have to be. There's no way Naru would ever go to the States without you, so you'd get enrolled, no question."_

 _This was too good to be true. The fabled X-Men, led by Charles Xavier himself… They'd be able to train Naru in the use of her powers far better than he dared dream! And he'd go along with her, to one of the most prestigious institutions on the planet!?_

" _There's a catch. There has to be," Umino muttered._

" _Other than going to the other side o' the world? Not really," said LeBeau. He then put a hand on Umino's shoulder and pulled him close. "Not a lot of guys out there would be so loyal to their girl upon findin' out their DNA looks all funny. You're different. You got somethin' too many boys don't, and you be proud of it, not carin' what anyone else thinks. Consider this your reward. And the ultimate romantic getaway for the two of you."_

 _Umino scowled up at him again. "Sounds like you're about to give all sorts of advice about girls…"_

 _LeBeau let out a barking laugh. "Actually, I was thinkin' we could compare notes. I'm all ears about how you handle a girlfriend that can punch a hole in a mountain!" After laughing again, LeBeau said, "Unfortunately, I gotta be leavin' the Land of the Rising Sun. Some of the other X-Men be stayin', though, and they'll be by in a day or two…"_

For the last day or so, Umino still half-believed LeBeau's visit was just a dream, despite the stack of brochures still lying around in his room, offering tantalizing insights into Xavier's school. And despite Naru coming by to tell him that, yes, the X-Men were here in Japan, and were ready to enroll the both of them.

Even now, as the two of them sat in Mayumi Osaka's private study above the jewelry store, Umino had a hard time believing it. He sat at Naru's left on one couch, his hand over hers. Her skin… Silky smooth, but nowadays Umino couldn't help but think it felt like hard rubber. Bulletproof, according to her, yet it couldn't keep fear and self-loathing from seeping into her heart. For their meeting, she threw on one of her old long-sleeved school uniforms. The special versions of her new high school uniform her mother bought had yet to arrive. On the couch directly across from them were Dr. Henry McCoy and his two companions from the United States. Dr. McCoy, the world-famous biochemist, would be one of their teachers!? The girl, Kitty Pryde, was apparently an instructor too, despite being only a few years older than either of them. She had an air of maturity about her, though. But that last guy, this Logan… Umino had no idea what he taught, and he dreaded finding out.

Usagi Tsukino also sat with the three X-Men. She looked even more anxious than Umino felt, and there was good reason. Naru said her suspicions about their friend were on the money. Yet even though Sailor Moon and Eclipse had clashed more than once, Umino sensed no anger between them. There was too much regret and confusion for that.

"Please understand, Dr. McCoy, that I'm grateful for what you're offering my daughter. And how you're being so… forthcoming about all that it would entail," said Mayumi Osaka, who was sitting at Naru's right. She reached for the table in between the couches, pouring herself more tea. "But as a mother, it's hard to let Naru go clear across the world before she's truly grown up. Not to mention you want to train her to become, well, one of the X-Men." The three of them let Naru's mother in on who they really were. Despite seeing them on the news fighting the Sailor Senshi over her daughter, however, she was willing to hear them out. Finding out your own flesh and blood was a mutant, and always doubting if you could do the right thing, left one open to whatever options presented themselves.

"It's Naru's choice whether or not she becomes an X-Man," said Logan. "She'll need more training to fully control her powers, regardless."

"In the meantime, she'd get the best education," added Kitty. "She could stay on with us as an X-Man and teach others, or return to Japan, with total control and contribute to bettering her homeland."

"I-I-I feel like I've gotten better at control already, thanks to Umino," said Naru nervously. Umino wished she wouldn't put him on the spot like that. Compared to what Professor Xavier and Dr. McCoy could do for her, his efforts were pitiful stopgap measures. "As for actually being a superhero… I don't know. It's fun to think about it, but now that it may actually be possible, I'm not sure."

"Besides, what if she's called to confront this… Magneto?" Mayumi demanded, her voice shaking a little as she said that name. "Dr. McCoy, I understand that you were among the X-Men who fought him that first time, yes? Weren't you still a teenager yourself?"

"I most certainly was," said McCoy. "Though Professor Xavier trained us for a good long while before that fateful day at Cape Citadel."

"Chuck knew Lehnsherr was out there, plannin' something that wasn't kosher. He knew the world had to be ready," added Logan.

"At any rate, nowadays, potential recruits go through a lengthier training period, that's far more rigorous, before they're allowed to put on a uniform and rush into the thick of things," said Kitty. "You have our word, Ms. Osaka, that your daughter would not be asked to fight someone like Magneto until she's had sufficient training."

This placated Mayumi a little, but Naru seemed to grow more doubtful. "Y-Y-You three really think I could be powerful enough to fight a mutant like _THAT_!?" The notion scared Naru as much as it fascinated her.

"Not precisely," McCoy said quickly. "You must understand that Magneto is an exceptionally powerful mutant. The X-Men, and other groups, have only defeated him through rigorous teamwork. And from what I've surmised, this is how the Sailor Senshi defeat the majority of their foes as well." Umino saw Usagi and Naru's gazes meet, an uneasy look in their eyes. He could guess why. From what he pieced together, the Sailor Senshi used teamwork to render Naru helpless, only to be crushed upon discovering it was her the whole time.

"I saw that, on the news," said Mayumi. "That's how you kept the Sailor Senshi away from my daughter. I still can't believe it was them who tried to bring her in."

"That leaked footage didn't tell the whole story," Kitty cut in. "The Sailor Senshi now realize their mistake. They won't be coming after your daughter any longer."

"'Specially since there's no longer any need for an Eclipse," added Logan. "I'll be takin' over the yakuza-suppressin' duties. There's a reason they call me 'gaijin'."

"You, Mr. Logan?" asked Mayumi dubiously. "You hinted at this before, but how… Just what is your power?"

"Mostly stuff you'd rather not see," said Logan dismissively. "I'm the best at what I do, but it's not pretty. But I'll let you in on somethin' that'll help me out. Let's just say I can tell you passed a sushi place and a florist on the way back here." He then made a show of sniffing.

"I… see," said Mayumi nervously. She then turned her gaze to Kitty. "But… what about you?"

Kitty smiled as she stood up. She took a few steps forward, and Mayumi gaped when she saw her legs pass right through the table!

Umino couldn't keep from gawking himself. "You… have the ability to pass through solid matter!?" This defied most known laws of physics. But then again, so did a girlfriend who kept an oily exoskeleton in pocket dimensions housed just underneath her skin, not to mention harnessed an elusive form of energy. And if Usagi was truly Sailor Moon… _THAT_ was a whole other can of worms!

"That and more," said Kitty proudly as she backed up and sat back down.

Mayumi's hand had flown to her heart. Despite seeing Naru use her mutant powers many times, seeing other examples still unsettled her. "Please, forgive me, Ms. Pryde. I… It's ridiculous, I know, showing such unease after seeing what my daughter can do. And even meeting Shiro Yoshida in person."

"You've met Sunfire? Oh, that must've been fun," quipped Logan.

"It's OK, Ms. Osaka," said Usagi. "You'd be surprised what the X-Men let roll off their backs."

"Ms. Tsukino is quite right. What matters is you've done right by your daughter," said McCoy. "That's, sadly, something that cannot be said of all parents who discover their children have mutant gifts."

 _Or men who find that out about their girlfriends,_ Umino added silently, giving Naru's hand a squeeze. He wondered if she even noticed.

"And I want to keep doing what's best for her, even if it'll hurt to let her go far sooner than I would've liked," said Mayumi, looking ready to cry. "Even if I wasn't so willing, well, Naru's not exactly a child anymore." Turning to her daughter, she said, "Naru, you do realize that whatever you choose, I'm behind you."

"I'm… still not sure what to do," said Naru. "These last few months, I've been laser-focused on protecting you and making sure I don't slip up in public. But now that I may not have to worry about either… I-I-I-I just haven't thought about what comes after."

"That's part of Professor Xavier's life work, Ms. Osaka. To reach out to young mutants like yourself, to grant them opportunities they may not otherwise consider when mired in fear and uncertainty," said McCoy. "Our hope would be that you no longer see your powers as a curse, but a blessing. Something that can be harnessed for the good of all."

"That's what bein' an X-Man is all about," added Logan. "Doin' the right thing, no matter what."

Naru still looked conflicted, uncertain. After considering their pleas in silence for a moment, she turned to Umino. "What about you? You've been offered a spot, too. Would you really want to go through with this?"

On the surface, the answer should've been obvious. But now that Naru put him on the spot, the totality of what was being asked of him sank in. Sure, he'd be studying under two of the most revered scientists in the modern age. On the flipside, not only would he be leaving Japan for years, but at this school, _HE'D_ be the oddball. Well, a bigger oddball than usual. A normal human among scores of mutant students? But as he stared into Naru's eyes, the answer came to him. None of that mattered so long as she could stay with _THIS_ mutant.

"Wherever you go, I go, Naru," said Umino, squeezing her hand even tighter. "I don't know of anything that would change that."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Though their meeting with her mother was finished, and she had given Naru her blessing to choose whatever path she wanted, her day with Usagi and the X-Men wasn't over. She still had many questions to ask them. About what life would be like at Xavier's school and as an X-Man. Not to mention, she still had questions for Usagi about what Sailor Moon was really all about. You don't dump a story like that, something involving a magical kingdom from millennia ago and reincarnation in present day, all at once. It still rankled, how Usagi kept it a secret all this time. At least she was forthcoming now, finally.

At the moment, however, there wasn't much talking. Out the corner of her eye, Naru saw Usagi staring at her, utterly baffled. Little surprise, there. After leaving the OSA-P, the two of them, along with Umino and the three X-Men, went to the Fruits Parlor Crown. That in itself wasn't unusual. She had come here with Umino and Usagi many, many times. What was different, however, was Usagi never saw her pig out like this. Naru's chopsticks moved at warp speed, shoveling the contents of her sushi tray into her mouth. And this wasn't her first tray. Rather, it was her _SIXTH_.

"Are you really the girl that berated me for trying to eat lunch early that one day?" Usagi demanded with a deadpan air. "Seriously, does anyone have a camera? I want documented evidence for the next time Rei accuses me of being a pig."

"I can't help it, Usagi! I get so insanely hungry nowadays!" Naru cried in protest, throwing down the empty tray. "Believe me, I have no idea how I haven't put on weight when sometimes it feels like I can _EAT_ my own body weight. And some days, I probably have."

"Doubtless this is all part of your mutant physiology," McCoy interjected. "That oil slick doesn't appear out of nowhere, after all. You must metabolize a massive amount of food, especially foods rich in protein, to build it up and replenish whatever mass is lost in battle." Naru sensed rather than felt Usagi wince and shiver. The Sailor Senshi were responsible for most of the lost mass in her oil slick. Naturally, Usagi didn't want any reminders of that. Naru didn't want to dwell on it either. Today was all about reforging old bonds, as well as building new ones.

Thankfully, McCoy had to keep quiet about her mutant powers now that Unazaki arrived to refill drinks and gather up empty plates and trays. And bring yet another sushi tray. As hungry as she was, Naru just told her to keep them coming until she said otherwise. She couldn't help but notice how Unazaki's gaze kept shifting nervously over to McCoy. Unazaki cut it out, however, when Usagi cleared her throat and shot her a dirty look.

Usagi kept glaring at Unazaki, even after she turned and left. "I don't believe it. Even Unazaki… I can't believe how this country's so distrustful of your kind, now."

As for Naru, she suddenly didn't feel as hungry anymore. Typically, Usagi was such an insufferable optimist. Now her frustrations and doubts carried over to her. What if Unazaki knew _SHE_ was a mutant, too? They had known each other quite a while. Would she also view her with suspicion? Umino and her mother had been nothing but supportive, but Naru held no illusions about how everyone she knew wouldn't be as understanding.

"It's disheartening, I know," said Kitty. "But it's important not to get discouraged. To keep working toward a world where young mutants aren't afraid about their powers."

"What about you, Kitty?" Naru asked. "When did you find out about yours?"

Kitty chuckled. "Actually, it was a setting like this, being offered a spot at Xavier's school," she said with a smile. "But then some armored goons from the Hellfire Club smashed up the place, and I wound up kicking myself right through a wall." Naru smiled back, but truthfully, that story weirded her out. There were supposed to be Sentinels out there. She didn't want her powers revealed by the need to fight back against them.

Now that her hunger abated, Naru asked more about the X-Men's past adventures, along with asking Usagi to elaborate more on the Sailor Senshi's exploits. The X-Men's tales wound up being as fantastical as Usagi's. Mutants just as terrifying as Magneto, like Mr. Sinister and Apocalypse, who had been around for even longer. Missions that took them into space, including a heartbreaking one that involved one of their oldest members, Jean Grey, being possessed by a cosmic force that corrupted her with its power. And this was the sort of thing she would be taking part of as an X-Man, if that's what she chose.

After they were all done at the Fruits Parlor Crown, they moved on. The X-Men and Usagi intended to spend the entire day with her and Umino, to answer all their questions about both their teams. So far, the day had gone better than Naru dared hope. It was good to be able to talk so freely with other mutants, who understood what she was going through. Of course, Usagi could also empathize with being born with power she didn't really understand. Despite some lingering frustration, Naru was glad she came along. Even more than that night spent jumping from rooftop to rooftop, Naru felt she could put her disappointment with Usagi behind her. It was almost like before that mess with the Dark Kingdom, when they could just be two girls out having fun. _But at the end of the day, it won't last,_ Naru reminded herself. _She's still leader of the Sailor Senshi, and now I'm being called upon to join the X-Men._

Their trek through Tokyo took them to a monorail station, one overlooking the sea. As the six of them waited in line, Naru looked out to the ocean. If she agreed to join the X-Men, she'd be going across it, and stay in the United States for a long time. Going to a completely different country, to enroll in a school populated by her own kind, partly to escape this rising tide of anti-mutant paranoia in her own. It sort of smacked of cowardice, now that Naru thought about it.

"Logan, do you think I'm a coward if I choose to go with you back to America?" she decided to ask.

Logan actually looked surprised by the question. "Darlin', you'd be asked to throw down on the Juggernaut by day and waltz with the Reavers by night. That's hardly a choice a coward would make."

"But I could go back to this mansion, where I wouldn't have to worry about humans that fear and hate me. Like there are here," Naru pointed out. She looked around at all the people. People who would be terrified of her if they knew the truth, and in turn that made Naru scared of all of them. "Would it be wrong if that's the reason I choose to enroll? Take Umino from everything he knows, just so I can get away from every other human?"

Logan still looked flummoxed. According to Usagi, he was well over a century old. Not someone you could easily catch off-guard. He was the one who would keep yakuza off her mother's back, delving deep into Japan's underworld for the solution, yet he seemed stumped by such a simple question.

Logan never really got a chance to answer her, anyway, as they both overheard a conversation between Usagi and… _Oh come on, how do we keep bumping into HER!?_ Naru wondered. Then again, Haruna Sakurada was one of the few humans in Japan who stuck her neck out for mutants.

"You say you're with another teacher right now?" demanded Haruna. "Just what kind of… teacher… do…" Naru watched as Haruna fell silent, staring over at McCoy. At first, she thought her old teacher was simply fearful, as Unazaki had been. But that made no sense, not after Haruna tried to protect that one mutant girl while everyone else was screaming for her head. "Ms. Tsukino, you never told me you personally knew Dr. Henry McCoy!"

"Well, yeah. McCoy, this is Haruna Sakurada, my old English teacher," said Usagi. "But actually, I only met him the other day."

"Indeed. This is my first trip to Japan in quite some time," said McCoy. "I'm on a bit of a recruitment drive for the school I teach at."

Haruna's eyes widened in shock, then turned back to Usagi, then back to McCoy. Suddenly, she pulled Usagi close to her, holding her so hard Usagi winced. "Well now, today is full of surprises! And here I was amazed I helped get Ms. Tsukino through her entrance exams. Now I find out my former student is being invited to study under the world's leading authority on biochemistry!"

As Haruna laughed to herself, Naru could only facepalm. Did her respect for mutants have to lead to acting like a smitten teenage girl around one she admired? Sighing, she told Haruna, "Actually, Ms. Haruna, it's Umino and I that are being offered enrollment."

Haruna blinked and turned Naru's way, noticing her and Umino for the first time. She let go of Usagi and pulled the two of them close in her place. "Is that so, Ms. Osaka? Well, Dr. McCoy, she and Mr. Umino were also my students! I'd like to think I've prepared them well to study in America!" McCoy looked rather befuddled by how sprightly Haruna was being. No doubt he wasn't used to a grown woman gushing over him like this. "In fact, if you're taking on new students while in Japan, I must ask, what about teachers? I'd like to think I…"

A strange crashing sound coming from the direction of the monorail track, along with startled screams from people waiting in line, cut Haruna off. They all looked over to the track. The next train had arrived, but part of the track was broken, as if the pillar underneath was giving way. Worse still, the last train car had separated from the rest, and now teetered nearly thirty meters above the water.

"Hank, much as I hate to break things up with your new girlfriend, looks like we got work to do," said Logan gruffly.

Kitty nodded, then pulled Logan close. "You heard him, Hank. Fastball special for the both of us, now."

"My apologies for cutting this short, Ms. Haruna. But as they said, my attention is needed elsewhere." With that, McCoy grabbed hold of his two friends, and with a roar, spun and hurled them at the teetering train car. As for Haruna, she looked _EVEN MORE_ smitten with McCoy after his display of strength, but gasped along with everyone else upon seeing Kitty and Logan go right through the train's wall.

Naru watched helplessly as people screamed in panic. The monorail car teetered again. McCoy pushed his way past people, taking off his shoes as he did so. "What're they doing!?" Naru demanded of no one in particular.

"Probably getting as many people off the train as they can before it tumbles into the drink," said Umino.

"Well, we've got to do something to help!" cried Naru.

"You're right. We better go someplace so I can transform and you can find something else to disguise yourself," said Usagi.

"B-B-But Usagi, it could go over any second!" protested Naru.

"But Usagi's got a point," said Umino. "The X-Men don't really have secret identities to protect. You and Usagi do."

"C'mon, Naru! We better hurry!" cried Usagi as she ran to find someplace to transform. Naru started to follow, but turned back to look at the derailed monorail car, shivering as she saw it precipitously slide a little more.

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Logan and Kitty hit the floor of the train car hard after she phased them through its wall, rolling to a stop. Grunting as he stood up, Logan took in the situation. A score of passengers they had to get off, from the looks of it. Hank's fastball special landed them near the rear of the car. Logan's eyes met those of a man sitting in the backmost seat, someone else who looked to be from North America. A relatively old man, by the standards of normal humans, though he still looked rather spry. He had short, matted white hair, and sported huge, tinted glasses. Beside him sat a Japanese woman approaching her fifties, sporting shoulder-length black hair, who also looked quite fit for her age.

 _Hopefully that means they won't be much trouble to get off this train,_ Logan mused as he walked over to the closest set of doors. He heard many passengers gasp in fear when he popped one set of claws. He paid them no mind, just as he ignored the stinging pain he felt every time his adamantium claws emerged. Many things in life could hurt, something he had learned over many decades. What was important was learning to push past the pain, to do what was necessary. That was why he barely hesitated to return to Japan when Xavier asked, as painful as it was for him. Logan's instincts told him he was needed in Japan again. And as it turned out, this kid Naru Osaka could sure use him, not to mention these passengers. _I've always been able to trust my instincts before,_ Logan thought as he stabbed through the top of the doors. _Let's hope they're still on the money._

Logan cut his way downward, then forced his hands into the gap he made, slowly pulling the train doors open. He felt the confused, fearful stares of the passengers on his back, but Logan ignored them. Soon enough, the doors parted just enough to get people through. As he hoped, Hank was already in position, latching onto the fence along the platform with his bare feet. Kitty phased through Logan as she ran out, using her power to stand in midair, right between the train car and the platform. It was a distance of about ten feet, far too much for these passengers to safely jump. That's where the three of them came in.

"OK people, this is what's gonna happen," said Logan, turning to the passengers as he sheathed his claws. "I'm gonna toss you out the train, one at a time. Kitty'll then catch you and toss you to Hank. The big, furry guy who'll get you to safety. And please, no arguing. There's no tellin' how long we got until this thing splashes into the drink."

Mercifully, there were nervous nods and little argument. Funny how fear of mutants faded when their powers were suddenly needed. "Kids first," Logan said gruffly, grabbing a small girl and throwing her out to Kitty. She screamed in terror, coaxing Kitty to hug her tightly for a moment, whispering encouragement in her ear. It looked like the girl calmed down a little, despite being suspended precipitously over the churning ocean, so Kitty tossed her into Hank's waiting arms. Soon enough, the girl was back on solid ground, and Hank was ready to receive the next passenger.

Thankfully, it looked like none of the passengers would be too heavy for Kitty to hand off. After getting a few more passengers safely out to Kitty, Logan dared entertain hope that he would get them all out alive.

Those hopes were soon crushed when the train car lurched again. Logan could hear the concrete in the pillar below giving way. "C'mon, faster! Faster!" he demanded gruffly as he grabbed a young boy by the wrist. He chucked him out to Kitty, then turned to grab someone else. Logan didn't fear going down with this train car. He had survived far worse. But there was no way he'd let a single one of these passengers plunge into the ocean with it.

Despite his resolve and determination, the crumbling pillar refused to cooperate. The train car lurched once more, and Logan knew the pillar had finally collapsed completely, with him and a dozen passengers still in it. The old man at the back and the woman beside him, they screamed as the train car began its plunge. Obeying instinct once more, Logan tackled them to the ground while popping his claws, arms spread out. Both of them pinned down with one of his arms, his claws anchoring them all to the floor. Assuming these humans survived the car's impact with the water, Logan could at least make sure these two didn't get tossed around and injured more. He could get at least two more out alive.

Logan shut his eyes, bracing himself for when they hit water. Amazingly, seconds passed, and they didn't splash into the ocean. Yet there was an odd sound in the place of a splash. A noxious, burbling, slurping sound. Opening his eyes, Logan looked up, along with the two passengers he had pinned down. Tendrils of some thick, black ooze spread over the windows. And then, to everyone's amazement, the train car began creeping back up, slowly but surely, scraping against the side of the stone wall.

"Oh no no no. No kid, you didn't…" Logan muttered as the train car continued its slow ascent. He told the girl that being an X-Man was all about doing the right thing, no matter what. He never imagined that saying something so innocuous would backfire like this. Naru probably saved the rest of these passengers from a watery grave. All at the expense of her secret. And if past experience taught Logan anything, saving all these people would barely register. All that would matter was Naru Osaka being a mutant.

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It turned out that her control over her powers may not have been as good as Naru thought. It was almost like her oil slick shot out of its own volition, reacting to her emotions more than her thoughts. When Usagi ran to find a safe place to transform, Naru stayed behind, unable to tear her gaze away from the separated monorail car. Hope swelled within her as the three X-Men got a few passengers to safety, but then it was clear the whole thing would topple over with Logan and many more inside.

That was when Naru decided something had to be done. Partly of her own will, partly due to her emotions getting the better of her, Naru raised her arms, and her tendrils of ooze shot out through them. They wrapped around the monorail car just as it tumbled off the crumbling railway.

Naru screamed as the falling car dragged her across the outdoor monorail station, and people desperately dove out of her way. Gritting her teeth, Naru tried planting her feet firmly, but they dug into concrete as she continued sliding toward the platform's edge. In desperation, she willed more tendrils to form. A few more wrapped around the car, but some shot out from her back, ripping through her clothes. The ones behind her drove down into the concrete, serving as anchors. Between that and digging her heels in, it was finally enough to stop her slide off the edge, just when she came within a few meters of the mangled fence.

Naru's eyes were screwed shut, but she could feel all the gazes upon her. In her haste, she forgot to cover her face with ooze. Now everyone would know she was really Eclipse! But at the moment, that hardly mattered. If she let herself dwell on how her fears had been realized, she'd lose her hold on that monorail car. Besides, Logan said being an X-Man was all about doing the right thing, always. There were so many people still trapped on that monorail car, plus Logan himself! He had volunteered to take care of her yakuza problems. Letting him plunge into a watery grave was a shoddy way to repay his kindness.

But this thing was so heavy! In her sessions with Umino, she had used her tendrils in conjunction with pulleys set up, to lift semi trucks with her oil slick. However, this monorail car was far more massive than those! It felt like its weight was pulling her tendrils apart, and herself along with them! But if she couldn't drag this thing back up, that was it for its passengers.

Taking a few deep breaths, doing her best to block out the pain, Naru brought her forearms up, willing her tendrils to retract. She now knew her maximum lifting strength, but Dr. McCoy never tested the tensile strength of her oil slick. There was a chance her tendrils could snap, and she'd lose Logan and those passengers. Fear threatened to break her concentration, let the pain come crashing back.

 _No, this is what Logan said I have to do,_ Naru told herself. _And this is why I wanted to be a Sailor Senshi before, to help people._ She concentrated even harder on retracting her oil slick, bringing the monorail car back up with it. And after several long, torturous minutes, Naru opened her eyes to be greeted by the sight of the car's roof emerging over the edge!

Utilizing all the control she had over her tendrils, Naru willed the ones coming out of her back to lengthen ever so slightly toward the edge, while the ones latched onto the monorail car now pulled it straight up. It tumbled over onto its side, crushing the fence underneath its weight, letting Naru get her hands underneath the middle of it. Now that she could simply use her own musclepower, it was a relatively simple matter to lift it up and drag it backwards. People gasped and screamed, but that was almost drowned out by the sound of the monorail car being dragged across solid concrete, sparking.

At last, Naru felt she dragged it far enough from the edge. Her oily tendrils retracted back under her skin as she slumped over, her breathing ragged. Despite all those sessions with Umino, learning to control her strength and even increase it, this felt like it almost killed her. Maybe McCoy and the others had a point about needing more training.

As she struggled to get her breathing under control, Naru heard Umino calling, running up to her. "Naru… Oh God, you've never tried lifting anything _THAT_ heavy before!" he cried as he put an arm around her shoulders. "That was _AMAZING_! Are you _OK_!?"

Naru didn't answer as she looked into his eyes. Then she took a good look around her. As she dreaded, everyone else didn't look too impressed with her feat. Instead, they all looked terrified. Terrified not just about how she was clearly a mutant, but the mutant they had all heard horror stories about. Their gazes bore into her soul, filling her with shame, making her eyes fill with tears in turn. But the worst blow of all came when she spotted Haruna again. Even her old teacher, the one who stood up for a mutant days ago, looked absolutely petrified. "Oh no… Naru, how can it be you? You're Eclipse…" she whispered fearfully, shock and horror etched in her features.

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Remember the episode with most of the Inner Senshi on the train, where Usagi was inhaling the contents of her tray? Just picture that with Naru now. I did. It made me smile.

Anyway, in case you're wondering… Yes, the old man is meant to be the obligatory Stan Lee cameo! Since this story is mining so much X-Men lore (comics, cartoons, movies and games), it seemed appropriate to go all the way and show the great one himself, just like in almost every Marvel movie, and the 1989 cartoon pilot intro. But the woman right beside him… You guessed it, that's meant to be Naoko Takeuchi herself. If one creator is going to cameo, then you damn right the other will be there.

And yes, Usagi's 'butt-bounce' scene was ripped right out of _Sailor Moon Crystal_ , because why the hell not?

So long,

Grey-X


	17. A Touch of Evil

Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 17: A Touch of Evil

11-13-2017

By Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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When Kitty saw what remained of the track crumble and the monorail car plunge, she felt so helpless standing there in midair, and feared the worst. Even with the three of them, they couldn't act fast enough to get everyone out, and now Logan was trapped on that thing! Hadn't they been trained to be better than this!? But then, she noticed tendrils of black ooze had wrapped around it, and more were shooting down to further secure the monorail car. Its plunge had stopped, and slowly but surely, it was creeping back up.

"Oh Naru, please… Oh no," Kitty muttered as she turned back to the crowd. Naru had dug in her heels, quite literally, and anchored herself with even more tendrils. Understandably, everyone had stopped gaping at the girl standing on thin air, and the blue furry guy latching onto the other side of the safety fence with bare feet. While Kitty felt relief that those trapped in that car would be saved, hardly any of that relief was mirrored in the faces in that crowd.

Once Naru was close to pulling the monorail car onto the platform, Kitty ran back onto it. Hank jumped back over the fence, just as the car toppled over and crushed part of it. Kitty gaped as Naru dragged it further from the edge with her bare hands. This little girl really was almost as strong as Rogue!

More than ever, Kitty was certain they could really help Naru, see to it that she reached her full potential. It wasn't just her impressive array of powers. Performing such a selfless act, no matter the cost… This is what one looked for in a future X-Man.

Unfortunately, the people around her didn't see it that way. Even that teacher, who almost seemed determined to get into Hank's pants, looked aghast that her old student was the feared mutant supposedly plaguing Japan. No one was paying attention to her or Hank anymore. All eyes were on Naru. Umino held her close, supportive as always, but Naru's attention was focused on the fearful crowd. So far, a pall of silence hung over the monorail terminal, but Kitty knew that would change. Soon, the threats and curses would be hurled. Naru could tank most attacks from the Sailor Senshi, but as a fellow mutant, Kitty knew full well how such threats and insults could cut deep.

The sound of claws ripping through metal made Kitty turn around. Logan had carved an oval in the overturned monorail car's roof. One forceful kick opened a path for everyone still inside. Logan sauntered out, claws still out, ignoring startled gasps from those who turned his way. An old man also from the West followed, clutching a Japanese woman in her late-forties close. More and more passengers climbed out, looking about confusedly, while Logan strode over to Naru and Umino with Hank and Kitty. No doubt Logan was also expecting an explosion of mob-style fury, hence keeping the claws out to dissuade the more reasonable.

Razor-sharp adamantium claws may have coaxed some to keep their anxiety over mutants in check, but not all. As Kitty feared, some in the crowd raised their voices. Vehement voices.

"It's her! It's really her!" someone shouted. "That little freak is Eclipse!"

"What's she playing at!? Trying to be a hero!? My brother was in that riverside warehouse she trashed!" shouted someone else. Naru bawled as her face sank into Umino's shoulder. Kitty's fists clenched. Naru just threw away her secret identity to save total strangers, and this was the thanks she got!? Why was it always the same story for mutants!?

A man suddenly grabbed Haruna Sakurada by the shoulder. "Hey lady, you sounded like you know who this freak of nature is! Who is she!? How d'you know her!?" he demanded roughly.

"Well, I… Errr, t-t-t-that is…" Haruna blubbered, but then fell silent, eyes filled with tears. She was torn between her shock of Naru exposing herself as Eclipse, and her instincts to protect a former student.

The chain reaction had started. More and more shouts, more and more demands that Naru get out of Japan, that freaks of nature like her weren't welcome. Naru cried harder than ever, her worst fears realized. Soon enough, it looked like some would advance. Their mob-like mentality would override sense that should've kept them from tackling a mutant strong enough to lift a monorail car, and another with adamantium claws. But then, there was one shout that echoed over all their hateful taunts.

"Hold it right there!"

It seemed to come from above. Many looked up toward a nearby two-story building. There, balancing herself atop a flagpole, was Sailor Moon.

"Being a hero is thankless work, and even I can't be everywhere at once," Sailor Moon shouted down to the crowd below, arms folded. Even that high up, Kitty could see the contemptuous look in her eyes. If possible, Usagi was even angrier about the crowd's reaction than Kitty was! "Who said the Sailor Senshi are the only people in Tokyo with superpowers and allowed to use them!? I, for one, am _GLAD_ that Eclipse could be here in time when I couldn't! You turn on this girl right after she saved all those people!? UNFORGIVABLE!"

With that, she leapt down and made a three-point landing in front of Kitty. The sheer _FORCE_ of her personality, her will, as she rose to stare down Naru's would-be tormentors... Kitty had worked with plenty of other superheroes, but was still impressed by the force of will emanating from this girl. Which made everyone on her own team back off the other night. Little wonder she was a reincarnated princess. "And if anyone tries anything against this fellow guardian of love and justice, in the name of the Moon, I'll punish them!" she finished, doing that infamous pose.

This left much of the crowd flabbergasted. Weren't the Sailor Senshi supposed to be tracking down Eclipse, not protecting her? As it turned out, this was exactly what Usagi was banking on. She reached behind her, grabbing Kitty's wrist. "That'll buy a few seconds," Sailor Moon hissed through gritted teeth. "Everyone, grab hold of Kitty so she can phase us out of here!"

Thankfully, everyone got the hint. Logan sheathed one set of claws and put his hand over Usagi's, and Kitty felt Hank lay a huge hand on her shoulder. Umino grabbed Naru's hand and placed it on her other shoulder. Then, with a thought, Kitty made them all sink through the ground.

Kitty caught glimpses of screaming, frustrated faces as they phased down into concrete. At least they could leave these ungrateful dolts behind. But Kitty knew full well that Naru's troubles were just beginning.

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"No no no no NO!" Erina Kizachi howled. "This is nowhere near calibrated and aligned properly! Start all over again. We're not going ahead with assembly until I'm confident everything's perfect!"

Many of the engineers working under Erina shot her dirty looks, but they didn't faze her in the least. After working with the world's most infamous mutant terrorist this long, how could fellow humans hope to get her to back off?

Fortunately for them, everyone assigned to her team knew when to take a hint. The lot of them were busy assembling the core processors to go inside a Sentinel head, though only a select few knew its true purpose. The engineering teams responsible for the parts that were undoubtedly meant for Sentinels, such as certain weapons systems and the outer structures for the heads, were busy elsewhere. Plus, the work was spread out between different facilities.

All this fandangling, secrecy, and clever shuffling of company records was necessary, at least for now. Erina had to be patient. Her husband was doing his part within Japan's government, paving the way toward acceptance of a new Sentinel program, but the time just wasn't yet ripe to spring the proposal. Erina was determined to have her Sentinels ready when they did, despite being cursed with some impatient and sloppy laboratory personnel. Her field test against the Sailor Senshi proved more fruitful than she hoped, though it meant a good deal of overhauls were necessary. Not to mention, the helpful data came at the cost of the Sailor Senshi being open to a partnership with the X-Men, and Erina knew she had no hope of manipulating them into dissolving it. It was frustrating, and Lehnsherr shared in that frustration, but she knew it was pointless to dwell on it. All she could do was go right along with her work on these Sentinels.

It was work she relished. Not because she necessarily wanted to construct mutant-hunting machines. Erina had a different purpose in mind for these Sentinels, anyway. No, she just enjoyed being in the thick of things whenever she could, getting hands-on and utilizing her genius in the most direct manner.

Not that she didn't have skills in other areas. Together, she and her husband built this company up from nothing, in happier times. After that, with their fortune and her brains, it was a simple task to pave the way for Seto's path into politics.

 _And unlike so many other politicians, that meant we could tell any yakuza interlopers to bugger off,_ Erina thought bitterly as reattached a circuit board. One that was made in-house, with one of the chips even bearing her company's logo. A metallic sphere with several thin lines originating from the center, the longest ones pertaining to the four sides of a compass. _Even if that weren't the cse, it's not like I wouldn't have manipulated events so that these last few weeks were a living hell for all the yakuza in this city…_

Of course, their marriage was pretty much over, just a façade that had to be kept up in public. And once all this was said and done, Seto's political career would likely be over. Not that Erina gave that any thought. At the moment, her sole focus was getting this part of her overhauled Sentinels perfect, so their production could truly begin soon.

Erina was so engrossed in her task, it took her some time to notice far fewer of her staff were still toiling alongside her. She looked up in annoyance. Her teams were working in the wide-open robotics laboratory on the lower levels of her company's building, the one she knew Shadowcat tried to slip into the day of her seminar. Erina also knew Storm tried to break in before sunrise. Thankfully, she hadn't penetrated too far. But Erina knew it was foolish to believe she could keep both the X-Men and the Sailor Senshi out forever, hence her annoyance with her employees slacking.

Looking around, Erina saw a cluster of her coat-clad workers around a television. Curious, Erina walked up to see what had them so engrossed. Her simmering frustration swiftly turned to joy upon seeing the news bulletin: ECLIPSE IDENTIFIED. And sure enough, there was Naru Osaka's face in a sidebar. Along with footage of her using her powers in broad daylight, pulling a derailed monorail car to safety.

"Wow, good thing you're speeding up building Sentinels on the sly," one of her younger employees whispered into her ear. "Something tells me people will be howling for us to turn them loose on this little freak."

Erina smiled. "I imagine so," she replied softly, while chuckling on the inside. Such naïve fools, all of them. Both those who knew of her plans for Sentinels and those hopelessly in the dark. Especially the former. Such desperation on their part, feeling the need to build machines out of fear of what was simply human evolution marching forward. How satisfying it would be, when all those like them saw their best efforts turned against them. Without that, her revenge against Sailor Moon wouldn't be complete.

Slipping away from the gaggle watching the news, feeding on their own fear of what they refused to understand, Erina ducked into a supply room. Pulling out a small device, she flipped it open and whispered into it. "I trust you've seen the big news story by now," she hissed with glee. "I trust you're making plans to pounce on this opportunity…"

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"Wow, anyone want to bet on how long it'll take Rei to use this guy in a fat joke levied at Usagi, once she goes over this stuff?" quipped Minako.

Ami's computer was hooked up to the television in Mamoru's apartment. This way, the tactical information the X-Men downloaded for Ami could easily be studied by all of them. Makoto and Luna were also there as they went over all the X-Men's files. Mainly, they were going over information on the Sentinels, and all the mutants still working closely with Magneto. The Sailor Senshi were caught off-guard by the X-Men, thanks to how they had no idea what to expect from the team as a whole. Well, except maybe Usagi. If they ran into Magneto's cronies, it would be a different story.

"I think we're all done making bets that involve Usagi," muttered Makoto.

"As for this guy, it's not just a body-mass index that's nothing short of grotesque," said Ami. "It's how the Blob can generate a localized gravity field to anchor himself. And his skin and adipose tissue are highly resistant to conventional weaponry, and most other means of inflicting harm."

"The eyes, ears, nose and mouth are somewhat vulnerable," added Mamoru. "Plus, he's not as resistant to fire and heat as other forms of physical harm."

"So we don't bother outmuscling this guy," said Makoto. "Rei or I just wallop him from a distance. Got it. Instant smoked bacon."

"Hmmmm, I wonder if Naru has the muscle to tackle Blob in case you or Rei aren't around?" Luna mused.

"Forget it. Professor Xavier didn't want her anywhere near the fighting," said Mamoru.

"Since when to do we take orders from him, by the way?" demanded Luna. "We're working _with_ the X-Men, not _for_ them."

"He had a good reason, Luna. Naru just doesn't have the experience the rest of us do, or our level of control over our power," Ami pointed out.

 _Naturally, Ami and Mamoru would be the ones to completely agree with Xavier,_ Minako noted silently. Though Minako had to admit, things were going surprisingly smoothly after that horrible battle at the shipyard. Ororo simply shrugged off how Minako injured her quite badly, and the X-Men were certainly fulfilling their end of the bargain. So much tantalizing tactical data. It was like being back in Interpol, carefully scouring files, to probe for the enemy's weaknesses, to plan how to trap them. That suited Minako just fine. Ami and Mamoru no doubt found all this data on other mutants fascinating, but she could tell Makoto was getting restless. Even those sparring matches with Kitty did little to quench her thirst for taking the fight to those responsible for this mess. And no doubt Haruka and Michiru were the same. "By the way, anyone heard from Michiru and Haruka lately? I hope they don't go trying to hunt these Brotherhood yahoos without us."

"Actually, something tells me they're having even more fun with all this new information than we are," said Makoto, a bit of sarcasm to her voice.

"Come to think of it, you might be right," said Minako. "All those files we saw on bad guys from outside our solar system… That's straight-up catnip for them!" Luna shot Minako a dirty look. "What? It would be!" she protested.

"It's not really their whereabouts I'm worried about at the moment," muttered Mamoru.

"Oh yeah, you sensed Usagi transformed," said Minako. "But still no inkling she's in danger, right?"

"That was the case last time, when she was so shocked, and not conscious long enough, for a sense of danger to sink in," Mamoru grumbled.

There was awkward silence for a moment. It was one thing, trusting the X-Men on Usagi's say-so. But no one really wanted to talk about how they now had to be a little wary of Naru.

"But Usagi's got three of the X-Men with her," said Luna. "Even if Naru does lose her cool, they won't let any harm come to her."

"Somehow, I find it hard to have complete faith in the ghost kitty and the blue gorilla," grumbled Makoto.

"Get over it, people," snapped Minako. "Back in my days working in tandem with Interpol, I sometimes had to partner with people I detested to get the job done. And these X-Men… They've made up for their mistakes, and then some. We need to remember who our real enemies are."

"Whose files we're scrutinizing, provided courtesy of the X-Men," Ami added tersely. "So I suggest we get back to that, since there's no telling how soon…"

"AAAAAH!" came a high-pitched wail from Mamoru's bedroom. Immediately, Luna turned toward the noise, her ears pricked up.

"Oh no, Diana… Something's wrong!" cried the mooncat. The rest of them followed Luna as she made a mad dash for the bedroom. Thankfully, it didn't look like Diana was in any danger. She sat at the foot of the bed, a television remote at her side, right where Mamoru and Luna left her. "Diana, is something wrong? Why did you cry out?"

"The television, the news…" said the little kitten, almost in a breathless whisper. "The queen, and her friend…"

"Something about Naru on the news?" asked Ami. "Oh no, please don't let that mean…"

But as they crowded around the television, Ami's worst fears were confirmed. The first thing that jumped out at them was the bulletin **ECLIPSE IDENTIFIED** , along with a photo of Naru in the corner and looping footage of something that happened at an outdoor monorail stop. They all gaped at how those slimy tendrils kept a monorail car from plunging into the ocean, and hoisted it back up. " _ **THAT'S**_ what Naru tried to clobber you and Ami with, Makoto!?" Minako cried incredulously. Makoto didn't answer. She was too transfixed by how Naru dragged the monorail car away from the edge. Minako didn't blame her. It was one thing to have their strength disparity elucidated with just numbers. To actually see what Naru could do with such strength was quite another.

"She… S-S-S-She saved all those people, but the reporters won't even give her the benefit of the doubt," snarled Ami. "They're doing everything they can to cast Naru as the villain here, practically inviting people to turn on her." Minako's brow furrowed. She had put a lot of crooks away as Sailor V, and people loved her for it. Why was it the opposite when Naru saved so many?

They then saw Sailor Moon get in between the mob that was forming and Naru. Seconds later, Kitty phased their entire group down into the concrete. "Well, now we know why Usagi transformed. At least they're all safe," said Luna.

"For now," spat Makoto. "T-T-T-This is going to destroy Naru. Things were looking up for her, finally, and now this." There was no trace of envy of Naru's strength in her voice. Rather, there was only empathy. She knew better than anyone what it was like to be cast out, branded as a brute.

" _I'm afraid Ms. Kino speaks the truth. Ms. Osaka will need the support of her longtime friends more than ever in the days to come,"_ came a resounding voice suddenly, one that echoed in Minako's head. With the way everyone else was anxiously looking about, Minako knew they heard it too. _"For the moment, however, there is a more immediate concern."_

"Professor Xavier, remind me to have Kitty work with me on an interface for our communicators, too," said Ami dryly. "Having you communicating telepathically is just… going to take too long to get used to."

" _My apologies, Ms. Mizuno, but I fear this could be urgent,"_ replied Xavier.

"Professor Xavier, where are Naru and Usagi?" demanded Mamoru. "Can you tell if they made it out safely?"

" _They made it out just fine,"_ said Xavier. _"Our primary concern, however, would be Ms. Osaka's mother."_

"Mayumi Osaka? Why would…" Makoto began, but then her eyes widened. "Oh no, there's a mob forming right outside her jewelry store, isn't there!?"

" _I'm afraid so, and I can sense the panic and animosity among many of those gathered,"_ said Xavier. His telepathic voice seemed to transmit his own sorrow. _"I've already alerted Ororo and Nathan as well. They will meet you there, but you must hurry!"_

Makoto cracked her knuckles. "Oh don't worry, Professor. We're on our way." Minako certainly wasn't going to object to that sentiment. It wasn't long before they all reached the ground floor and clambered into Mamoru's car. He must have run more than one red light on the way to the OSA-P. He found a parking spot less than a block away from the jewelry store. As they ran up to it, they could see an angry crowd had formed, just as they feared. But two figures hung back. Someone with long, white hair, and a big guy with a longcoat.

Nathan looked over his shoulder. No doubt he was expecting them to show, and stayed alert for their approaching thought patterns. "You made it just in time. It looks like things are about to get ugly."

"Mayumi Osaka ejected her patrons and locked up her store, but I fear this crowd may soon go beyond chanting angry taunts," added Ororo.

Minako took a moment to listen. Disgusting diatribes about how Mayumi gave birth to a freakish abomination, that they'd burn her store down to get to her daughter. Minako clenched her fists so hard, her fingernails nearly broke skin. "I got hailed as a hero for my work as Sailor V, but Naru gets branded as a monster!?" she spat acerbically.

"Welcome to our world," muttered Nathan.

Minako thought she couldn't be any more disgusted, but then, she noticed some police officers present. They didn't seem to look too eager to keep things from escalating. In fact, many hung back as some in the crowd began throwing bricks through the windows. Ami, Mamoru and Makoto looked on in shock and horror, but what Minako felt went way beyond that. With all her time working with law enforcement, seeing police all but allow this sort of thing turned Minako's stomach. "What's wrong with those officers!? They've got jobs to do!"

"Then it's time someone reminded them of that," said Nathan. Minako looked up at the supposed time-traveler, and swore she saw his eyes glow from behind those sunglasses. Looking back to the police officers, Minako saw they finally sprang into action, instructing the mob to back off and disperse.

"And now, to take the wind out of that mob's sails," said Ororo. Minako then looked over to her, and watched her eyes turn solid white.

"Oh no, Storm, don't tell me you'll be throwing lightning bolts at them or something," protested Minako. That wasn't something she needed to see again.

"I had something a bit more surreptitious in mind, Minako," said Ororo calmly. "Namely, lowering the air pressure in just the area that mob in concentrated in. Make it harder to breathe and concentrate, and thus harder to focus misplaced rage."

"It looks like it's already working," said Ami. "Those police officers are having an even easier time keeping those ingrates contained."

"So this is where you Senshi come in," said Nathan. "I'll mess with the cops' minds long enough so they don't notice you slipping inside, and I'll telekinetically open the locks on the front door."

"Yes, Sailor Senshi, hurry inside. See to it Naru's mother is safe," said Ororo. "We'll stay out here, in case this mob gets out of control again."

"Storm, Cable, thank you," said Mamoru, and the mutants nodded. He then made his way toward the OSA-P's front entrance, sparing furious glances over at the angry crowd. Mercifully, Ororo and Nathan managed to keep things from escalating further, thanks to such clever use of their powers. It was amazing how absurdly powerful mutants could use their gifts in such subtle ways, not to mention a little scary.

 _But that's why Usagi wants them as allies. It makes much more sense to work with them than to keep butting heads with them,_ Minako reminded herself as the rest of them followed Mamoru. _Allies who can use their superpowers on the sly, out of costume, sure do come in handy._ And true to Nathan's word, no one noticed them slipping through the front door.

The inside of the OSA-P didn't look too out of the ordinary at first, other than being devoid of customers in the middle of the day. Minako then turned her attention to where the bricks smashed through windows, though, and noticed they also smashed up many display cabinets. That was far from the worst of it, however. They soon found Mayumi Osaka slumped beside one of the glass cases, clutching her head. Blood seeped through her fingers.

"Oh no, Ms. Osaka!" cried Ami as she rushed to her side. Makoto, meanwhile, looked back through the shattered windows. Minako knew nothing would make Makoto happier than to launch herself back out there and crack every skull in that angry mob. Deliver some eye-for-an-eye justice personally. "She's still conscious, though she seems to be fading in and out. Oh, I should call my mother, have her check her over personally…"

"That… won't be necessary, Ami," muttered Mayumi weakly. "I more or less, rolled with the brick when it hit… It c-c-c-could have been much, much worse."

"Still, that must've been a severe blow," said Mamoru, kneeling down beside her. "You'll need to be checked out at the emergency room."

"Y-Y-Y-You're… Usagi's boyfriend…" Mayumi said listlessly. "Usagi, my daughter… Where are they? Are they safe?"

"Yes, they made it out of there just fine," said Minako, trying to keep the anger out of her voice. This place, their friend's family business, somewhere where they often gathered… Those windows getting smashed was like desecrating a holy site in Minako's eyes. Just because Mayumi's flesh and blood was a mutant… How dare these people do this? "Just worry about yourself right now."

"B-B-But where can I go, with so many in the city screaming for my head?" asked Mayumi.

"Like I said, a call to my mother is in order," said Ami. "She won't hesitate to get you the help you need, and we have… friends who can help us slip past the mob."

"T-T-T-Thank you Ami," muttered Mayumi. "I'll… need to get this store open again as soon as possible…"

"Aren't you thinking a little too far ahead?" asked Makoto delicately. "With so many idiots out there treating giving birth to a mutant like a sin…"

"This is our family business, M-M-Makoto, I-I-I-I can't simply abandon it," Mayumi protested. "Besides, if Naru accepts this offer from the Xavier Institute, how else will I pay the tuition?"

"A bridge you can cross later," said Mamoru. "Please, for now, save your strength until we can get you to Dr. Mizuno."

 _Assuming she's not as pigheaded as the mob out there,_ Minako added silently. Minako didn't really think Dr. Mizuno would turn Mayumi down, but after Usagi ranted about what came out of her mother's mouth, one couldn't be entirely sure.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ikuko was so absorbed in cooking dinner, she didn't even hear Kenji come in. She only realized he was home due to how he was lured into the kitchen by the inviting scents. "Oooooh, that smells good," said Kenji, evoking a smile from Ikuko. "I hope it's not too much longer until dinner. I had to work so late on this assignment, I could sure use a good meal."

Glancing out the window, Ikuko saw the sun was almost down. "Wow, they really had you working late today," said Ikuko. "It must've been some big story."

"Not one I particularly relished reporting on, as you might imagine," replied Kenji.

"Oh, really?" asked Ikuko. "What, did you have to cover something about mutants?" Her husband made it painfully clear where he stood when it came to mutants. She wondered if it was the right time to tell him that one of his heroes had arrived right at their front door this morning.

Kenji looked back to her, perplexed. "What, you didn't see it? The bulletin must've been playing on every channel!"

"What bulletin?" asked Ikuko. "I've been too busy most of the day to watch much television."

Kenji sighed and shut his eyes. "I… hate to be the one to say this, but you'll find out eventually. Everyone's talking about it, going crazy. They've identified Eclipse."

That name… A name evoking almost as much fear in the people of Japan as Magneto's. Ikuko nearly dropped her carving knife. But there was something else in the way Kenji was telling her this. For not the first time, the memory of Usagi's bitter outburst rushed back. Suddenly, her words made sense. "Oh no… Kenji, it's our daughter, isn't it!? _THIS_ is the reason she lashed out at me!?"

"What!? Oh no, it's not her," Kenji said quickly. "But it is hitting far too close to home. It's Naru, Ikuko. I figure Usagi knew about it, and that's why she blew up at you and Shingo."

This time, Ikuko did drop her knife. Ikuko stared back at her husband, wide-eyed with terror and shock. Her daughter's best friend, actually this mutant carving a path of destruction in Japan's underworld, without a thought of the consequences? And Dr. McCoy was here at this house, talking about recruiting new students, with Usagi coming along… It had to be Naru! "H-H-H-How was she found out?" she spluttered fearfully.

"She used her power in public, to rescue a monorail car about to plunge dozens of meters into the ocean," said Kenji. "Far from being grateful, though, everyone turned on her. Eyewitness reports say another mutant made their group sink right into the ground to escape. Which included Dr. Henry McCoy, if you can believe it! Imagine, one of the heroes of Cape Citadel, right here in Tokyo!"

"Kenji, he was here this morning!" Ikuko cried. "Our daughter was with them! She could've been caught up in all this! What have you heard about her, Kenji!? Any idea if she's safe!?"

"Wait, our Usagi, with Dr. McCoy?" Kenji asked incredulously. "No, this is the first I've heard of Usagi being involved. I've been worried about how Usagi would take this news, but if she was actually there to see it…"

"She already knew, Kenji! Why else would she explode like that!?" demanded Ikuko.

Kenji stared back, unable to answer. All rational thought fled Ikuko as she dashed out of the kitchen and flew up the stairs. The door to Usagi's room was shut, but as Ikuko approached, she could hear a voice on the other side. Ikuko had been more absorbed in her cooking than she thought, if Usagi slipped in without her knowing. She cautiously crept forward, just able to make out what her daughter was saying. "Good thing I didn't get rid of my old school uniforms," she said. It sounded like she was talking to herself, as she did sometimes.

Sighing in relief, Ikuko opened the door. "Usagi, dear?" she said tepidly as she shut the door. "We need to…"

Ikuko was cut short when long, spiky, black somethings shot out, driving into the bedroom door, several barely missing her head. She remained there, flattened against the door, eyeing the inky-black spikes fearfully, before her gaze turned to the center of the room.

Naru Osaka stood in the middle of her room, a bemused, terrified look on her face. Apparently, Usagi's talk about old school uniforms regarded her, as she must have put one on. Except it was in tatters, now that this noxious ink spewing out of her body ripped through it. One of the powers Eclipse was supposed to have. Here, right inside her home, was the dreaded mutant that had Japan on edge.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ikuko caught Usagi staring at her sheepishly. Then her gaze went back to Naru. "And there goes another perfectly good old uniform," she said dryly. As if this sort of thing was commonplace for her. "Naru, I thought you said you had control over that thing?" Not a hint of fear in her daughter's voice. Ikuko wished she could say the same. She stayed there, back against the door, only able to let out a whimper, her lip quivering.

"I told you, sometimes it's like it just acts on its own!" Naru pleaded. "Like with the monorail car. And I told you, the first time this stuff came out of me, I almost skewered my mother with it!"

"So now you have to nearly skewer mine, too?" Usagi asked darkly.

"Come on, Usagi! I don't do it on purpose!" Naru protested. "Besides, there's what just happened to my mother…"

"It sucks, I know, but we can't go yet," said Usagi. "And we have to hang back from the OSA-P for a while, until…"

Their bickering finally stopped when Ikuko let out a shriek, unable to contain her terror and confusion a moment longer. The two girls sheepishly looked over to Ikuko, as if they just remembered she was there.

"Oh, right," muttered Usagi. "Naru, the oil slick, you mind?"

Naru gazed over at Ikuko with a shameful expression, then jerked her shoulder back. The ooze receded into whenever Naru stored it inside her body. For a moment, Ikuko remained flattened against the door, despite not being pinned any longer. Also, she was unable to tear her eyes away from Naru. Back when Usagi started spending more time with girls like Rei and Makoto, with their bad reputations, Ikuko lamented how it seemed she was leaving Naru behind. What bitter irony, learning that Naru had a shady secret of her own.

"Well, that was my last good long-sleeved one you ripped apart," said Usagi. She was digging in her closet again. Not a worry that such a dangerous mutant was in her bedroom. "Then again, I guess you don't need long sleeves to cover up ooze anymore."

Neither Naru or Ikuko really heard her. They kept staring at each other, crushing silence between them. What was there to say? Ikuko was scared out of her mind, frozen to the spot, while Naru actually seemed to wither from her gaze. What did Naru have to be afraid of, with freaky powers like that?

Just as Usagi fished out another uniform, Ikuko was nudged from her spot when the door was opened from the other side. Kenji and Shingo were forcing their way in. "Dear, was that you screaming? What's…?" Her husband fell silent when he saw Naru standing there, some ooze still covering her skin.

"Oh God, she's _HERE_!?" cried Shingo. "Who let her…" Usagi silenced him by driving her knuckles down onto his skull.

" _ **I**_ let her in, you little brat!" spat Usagi. "She needed a new set of clothes, and a place to lay low, at least for the night."

"Of all stupid things to end all stupid things… Usagi, a _MUTANT TERRORIST_ spending the night!?" demanded Shingo.

"Who just saved a dozen people on that monorail," Usagi shot back. "If Papa was taking the monorail home from work, you'd be singing a different tune!"

Ikuko knew Usagi was right. Yet as she kept gaping at Naru, she couldn't shake her terror. This sweet little girl who had been Usagi's friend for so long, actually a mutant with dreadful power… "Usagi, you can't be serious. She can't stay here…"

"So you're going to throw out someone you've known for years, even after she threw everything away to save total strangers? Fine," Usagi challenged. She was making it plain she wouldn't soon forgive Ikuko if she turned her back on her old friend.

"B-B-But Usagi, all the assaults she committed…" Ikuko protested.

"All against yakuza and those connected to them, to get them to back off from her mother!" Usagi snarled. "Who, in case no one told you, took a brick to the face after a mob formed outside their jewelry store!"

Ikuko gasped, looking back to Naru, who just quivered in silence and shame. A mob attacked Mayumi, just because her daughter was a mutant?

"It's just for one night. Someplace familiar, before she makes a decision about where to go next," Usagi went on. Further evidence that Dr. McCoy was out to recruit Naru. One night, and then this mutant would go across the Pacific, never to be seen again. Ikuko didn't know if it was relief she felt, or vexation that a criminal would be getting away. Either way, Ikuko started to feel shame herself. "Anyway, if you can, I…"

Another voice cut Usagi off, and strangely, it came from directly above them. Looking up, Ikuko gasped again. That girl who was with McCoy this morning, now poked her head down _**THROUGH THE CEILING OF USAGI'S ROOM**_!? "Hey Usagi, Chibiusa wants to know how Naru's doing. She thought she heard a scream, and…" Her words trailed off when she caught Usagi's awkward expression. When Usagi pointed toward her door. Kitty turned her head around to see the rest of them, now wearing an awkward expression herself. "Oh. Hello again, Ms. Tsukino. I'm… just wrapping things up with Chibiusa up here. I'll be out of your hair in a few minutes," she said with a nervous laugh, right before her head vanished back through the ceiling.

An even more awkward silence hung over Usagi's room than before. "Well, now you know how I got Naru in the house without anyone noticing," Usagi said, shrugging her shoulders.

"So, she really was one of those freaks, too?" demanded Shingo. He hid behind his father when Usagi raised a fist.

Shingo had to retreat behind Ikuko when Kenji stepped closer to Naru. "Naru, I really do want to help you. I've been covering this story all day, and I understand what you've sacrificed." It was then that Ikuko realized Kenji was addressing Naru as a person, rather than keep talking about her as if she wasn't there. Shame welled up anew. "But, I'd be lying if I said I'm not worried about what happens if the police find out about this."

"Oh, no one'll find out. We don't have any snitches here, now do we?" Usagi asked airily, shooting Shingo a dirty look. Shingo ducked behind Ikuko again.

"Still, he's got a point, Usagi," Naru said suddenly. "After what happened at the OSA-P, I couldn't ask your family to do this. There are other places I could stay…"

"No. No way, Naru," said Usagi. "You've always been welcome here, and that's not changing."

"Usagi, your father had a point," said Ikuko. "If the police find out she's here…"

Usagi sighed in annoyance, rubbing her forehead as she shut her eyes. "Fine, I hoped it wouldn't have to come to playing this trump card, but here goes. Papa, exclusive interview with Dr. Hank McCoy if you let Naru stick around."

Kenji's eyes widened in shock and elation, and Ikuko knew it was over. Shingo saw it as well. "Mama, do something! We're losing him!"

"Nothing I can do, Shingo," said Ikuko. "It's clear what his decision will be."

"After all, it's only one night," said Kenji sheepishly, gazing apologetically at his wife. Ikuko didn't really feel annoyed with him. In fact, she wasn't sure what she was feeling, other than apprehension. This was Naru Osaka, one of Usagi's oldest friends. As for her being a mutant, she had used her powers to save people on that monorail, and before that, only attacked yakuza to protect her mother, according to Usagi. Logically, there was no danger in keeping Naru here for a night or two, yet Ikuko couldn't shake her fear. And that was the most shameful thing yet.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Naru sat alone on Usagi's bed, more or less just staring into space, lost in her thoughts. Ikuko had finished cooking dinner some time ago, but not only was Naru's appetite completely shot for once, she simply couldn't face Usagi's family again. Granted, Ikuko had good reason to be scared of her after nearly getting skewered. A pity that Naru could easily tell Ikuko's anxiety stemmed from much more than that. Shingo was clearly petrified of her, though thankfully, he still seemed more fearful of his sister's wrath. Even Kenji, someone who hero-worshipped the X-Men, seemed a little on edge, knowing such a dangerous mutant was in his home.

She tried not to imagine what was going on downstairs. No doubt it was the Tsukino family's most awkward dinner ever. Trying to pretend everything was normal, trying to forget about the wanted mutant criminal upstairs, trying to pretend this revelation about an old family friend somehow didn't change so much.

 _At least they're still together, as a family,_ Naru realized bitterly. _Umino's parents will probably forbid him to ever see me again. Not like that would deter him, of course. And my mother got a brick in the face because of me. Hurt badly because of me, just like Nephrite. It could be much worse than Usagi or the X-Men are telling me, and I can't even go see her! All this work, trying to keep the yakuza off her back, and now I can't do a thing!_

Tears flowed as Naru's hands clenched into fists, nearly ripping into the mattress. Her life had been enough of a mess already. Why did things have to go from bad to complete and utter catastrophe!? All these months, working so hard to gain control over these powers, only to have it all thrown away, because she simply couldn't let those people on the monorail die. Not to mention, all the people who wound up being protected by her disruption of yakuza activity. And how was she repaid? Cast out like a pariah, and her mother injured badly, their business threatened. Logan said X-Men always had to do the right thing. Did doing the 'right thing' always lead to so much heartbreak and disaster for them? Or did fate simply have it out for one Naru Osaka?

Naru was wallowing so deeply in her sorrow, she almost didn't hear the door opening. Naru shut her eyes tightly, forcing her oil slick to lay dormant. This gunk always oozing out of her, it _WOULD_ obey her, one way or another. _Professor Xavier said he could help me with control._ _I guess he'll have the chance. I may HAVE to go with him, just to escape all the people in Japan who want my head on a pike,_ Naru thought. She slowly turned and opened her eyes. "Oh, hey Usagi," said Naru, seeing who it was. What a relief it wasn't one of the others. "Is… dinner over?"

"Not really, but… It's sickening how they're all pretending there's nothing amiss," spat Usagi. "Going on as if everything's all peachy, not a care in the world. Can't dwell on the mutant monster upstairs, out of sight out of mind…"

Usagi sounded even more bitter about the situation than Naru expected. That was another thing she hated. As frustrated as Naru was with Usagi as of late, it still felt good, how their old friendship was getting patched up. But that cheerful optimism of hers was hardly anywhere to be found. It was as if Japan's descent into anti-mutant paranoia made it vanish, crushed it completely. On top of that, the sheer venom in Usagi's voice took Naru aback.

"It doesn't matter Usagi. It's not like I'm staying long term," said Naru. "Besides, the sooner I go, the better."

"Why should you go, Naru?" demanded Usagi, walking over to the foot of the bed. "You've always been welcome here before. That shouldn't change."

"It looks like it hasn't. But just because you're still welcome, doesn't really mean you're still wanted," said Naru.

"All because you were born different," scoffed Usagi. "Makes one wonder how they'd react, if they learned who Sailor Moon really is."

"Sailor Moon's not a mutant," Naru pointed out.

"Exactly. Only mutants seem to get this stigma. Them, and no other super-beings," said Usagi, hands on her hips. "Honestly, with the way the whole country's turned against you, I wouldn't be surprised if you went out and _GAVE_ them a reason to be afraid. Starting with my mother downstairs. Still jittery around you, just because of a little slip-up. Well, maybe you should show her what your powers can do _ON PURPOSE_. It's the only way to show you won't be trifled with."

The animosity in Usagi's voice before was odd enough, but this!? Naru stared over at Usagi in disbelief, mouth agape. It took a moment for words to come to her. "U-U-U-Usagi, what's with you!?" she demanded. "What's going on!?"

Usagi said nothing. She simply closed her eyes and shook her head, sighing. But when she opened them again, they were a solid yellow, save for black irises formed from dots!

Naru gasped, scrambling backward on the bed. She could feel some ooze dribbling down her arms. 'Usagi' simply chuckled. "Oh, you should see the look on your face, Naru. Wait, hold on…" With that, some sort of wave washed over her. Her clothes changed to the short-sleeved version of the Juban Middle School uniform, her hair shortened and changed color… It was like looking in the mirror, at an exact copy of herself! Save for the eyes, which were still an eerie yellow. "You can!" she finished with a mirthful laugh.

Once again, Naru could only stare for a moment. At her own face, though twisted into a sardonic grin. "W-W-W-What are you?" she finally managed to splutter out.

Another wave went over the girl, and this time, more profound changes occurred. Her hair changed color to a vibrant red and lengthen a bit, and her skin turned a dark shade of blue. The school uniform suddenly became a leather jacket and a silvery-grey dress that went halfway past her knees. High heeled silvery-grey boots and a belt formed from little silver skulls completed the look. She also grew taller, towering over Naru like Storm did. Naru could only gape up at the stranger, noticing what looked like reptilian scales covering parts of her forehead and cheeks.

"I am Mystique," she said to the befuddled girl, answering the question she'd already forgotten. "And I am much like you, Naru Osaka."

"Another mutant?" It wasn't really a question. She stared up at the blue-skinned woman a moment longer. "H-H-H-How'd you do that?"

"My power lets me shapeshift into any form I choose," said Mystique, smiling. "It's quite useful, obviously. But in the grand scheme of things, not quite as impressive as your array of mutant gifts."

Naru ignored that last part. Her mutant powers certainly didn't feel like 'gifts' as of late. "Why are you here?" she demanded.

"We are aware that the X-Men have made you an offer, to join their team," said Mystique. "I've come to make a counteroffer."

Naru was dubious. It had been Usagi's aim to get her to join the X-Men, out of the belief they could teach her how to master her powers. No one ever mentioned a blue shapechanger belonging to another mutant group. "Who's 'we'?"

"Oh, certainly the X-Men you've spoken to have mentioned the Brotherhood," said Mystique innocently.

"You mean the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants?" Naru asked dryly.

Mystique chuckled. "Well, we did drop the 'Evil Mutants' part a long time ago. Bad for the PR, you could say. It was to make a statement, though. A play on how humans think all mutants are simply creatures of evil, an excuse to hate us just because we exist. Something you've become all too familiar with."

There was certainly no arguing with Mystique about that. Naru looked down, seeing ooze that inadvertently flowed down her arms, due to her shock. She willed it to recede, but some inky stains remained.

"Even if you hadn't revealed your secret today, Naru, there's no hiding the truth from yourself," said Mystique, noticing. "You've seen the people of your home country swiftly turn against our kind since your powers surfaced, even as the Sailor Senshi bask in their adoration. Supplanting even Sunfire, another mutant, as Japan's symbol of heroic might."

Naru suddenly felt even more uneasy. Mystique was clearly probing for vulnerabilities. Unfortunately, Naru could feel it working. Resentment began to bubble up, despite herself. "I guess that's to be expected. Sailor Moon tries to infuse people with hope and optimism. I wanted the Eclipse persona to be feared."

"The people of Japan would have hated whatever alternate identity you created, simply knowing it to be that of a mutant," said Mystique. "It's always the same story, Naru. Over in America, the X-Men are detested no matter how much 'good' they do. As opposed to revered heroes like the Fantastic Four, the Avengers… Even Spider-Man and the Hulk get better publicity than the X-Men. And they expect you to join them? Flee one country that's treating you as a pariah, only to have the same thing happen on the other side of the Pacific?"

Mystique had a point. It would be just like Naru insinuated to Logan. While in their mansion, there would be no persecution, only to face it anew every time she got into uniform and left it. She was already iffy about the idea of actually becoming a superhero, but if this was what would happen… "B-B-But heroes don't do what they do for fame. They do it because of an ideal they believe in," Naru stammered, turning her gaze to the floor.

"And can you still believe in Xavier's ideals, Naru?" Mystique asked delicately. She sat down beside Naru, placing a hand on her shoulder. Naru glanced at it, noticing the scaly protrusions on the back of her hand. "After all these years, they still cling to this dream that normal humans can live peacefully with our kind. Naru, they can't even live in peace with their own kind. Just ask your mother. And who knows how your man's peers will treat him, now knowing he dares to love a mutant."

That cut right into Naru's heart. She looked back to Mystique, tears welling up again. "What are you offering, then?" she demanded. "It's not like a couple of normal humans would be welcome among the Brotherhood."

"If safeguarding two humans is the price for your trust and loyalty, so be it," said Mystique simply. "I would accept your conditions without hesitation, and so would Magneto."

Naru shuddered a little. The Brotherhood apparently still had ties to the most dreaded mutant of all. "Magneto? Protecting humans?" she spat, dubious.

"As overbearing and obstinate as the Master of Magnetism can be, you'll find he's a man of his word," said Mystique. "He can do more to protect them than the X-Men could. Asteroid M is a tad bit harder to breach than their school."

As much as it sickened Naru, she found herself tempted by Mystique's offer. All this time, she hadn't been able to keep yakuza from harassing her mother, not entirely. And now Umino was in danger. On top of that, seeing how everyone reacted upon seeing her use her powers in public cut Naru to the core. It wasn't just the idea of being a Sailor Senshi that had lost its luster. The notion of being a superhero in general was looking less and less appealing, if these were the consequences.

Still, Naru had deep reservations. She still couldn't see herself hurting people as part of the Brotherhood, truly becoming the villain. "I… don't know, Mystique. I have no real love for the rest of humanity right now, but I'm not angry enough to lash out at them. They're not evil, just scared."

"Because they know we're the next phase of evolution," said Mystique. "Their fear and hate stems from what they refuse to admit to themselves. Look at yourself, Naru. You're over a hundred times stronger than the most accomplished human bodybuilder. You harness an energy that still baffles the best scientists, Dr. Reed Richards included. Your body commands an extension of itself that can only be compared to an alien creature. They hate you because they know you're superior, and you're just a glimpse of what mutantkind is capable of. That hate will lead them to lashing out at _**US**_ , Naru. Sentinels would only be the beginning. What I'm asking you is to help us strike before that happens, to safeguard a future for our own kind. We must stick together, Naru. The Sailor Senshi weren't there for you, but the Brotherhood looks out for their own."

It scared Naru, how a lot of what Mystique was saying made sense. Still, she couldn't bring herself to say yes. "I-I-I-I can't, Mystique. I don't think I could be a part of whatever it is Magneto wants."

"It's not something I'd ask you to decide right away," said Mystique. She reached into a pocket on her jacket and pulled something out. "Take this, Naru. Think over what we've discussed. Something tells me you'll see things differently soon enough. When you do, I can arrange a face-to-face meeting with Magneto himself, and you can ask him whatever you want. All you have to do is give me a call." Mystique took Naru's hand in hers, and placed a small device in it.

Naru stared at what Mystique put in her hand. Erik Magnus Lehnsherr, the dreaded Master of Magnetism… Supposedly, he was out to keep mutants from going through what happened to the Jews during the Holocaust. Did that justify what he had done over the years? Naru once thought she could easily say 'no', but after today…

A knock at the door made Naru look over her shoulder. "Naru, can I come in? Are you OK?" came Usagi's voice.

Naru looked back to Mystique, but she had suddenly vanished. A sudden chill made Naru look to the now-open window. Gone, in a flash, but she left Naru with a means to reach her again.

Usagi opened up when Naru didn't answer. "Uh, Naru, there's plenty of leftovers if you're hungry. And, well, given your power, you probably are."

Naru couldn't bring herself to meet Usagi's eyes. "T-T-T-Thanks, Usagi. I-I-I might come down soon," she got out.

"Naru, is something wrong?" asked Usagi delicately.

 _Oh, nothing's wrong. Other than the whole country knows I'm a mutant vigilante and is screaming for my head, my mother got a brick in the face because of it, and the family that's known me for years is keeping me at arm's length!_ Naru wanted to scream. But she couldn't. Instead, Naru looked down at the communications device in the palm of her hand. She could easily crush it into dust, right then and there. She knew she should.

But she couldn't do that either.

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This, more than any other chapter, probably shows how different this story is from stuff like _Fusion of Destinies_ , _Zero Witching Hour_ or _Dynamic Equilibrium_. I'm simply going with the differences between shonen and shojo storytelling. While the former is usually about conquering an external threat, the latter focuses more on relationships, right? My previous big stories were about fighting to save the world. This story is about fighting to save a _SOUL_.

And now that I think about it, it could be a lot worse. Imagine if this was about being groomed for the Four Horsemen of Apocalypse. Naru's powerful enough to fill the role of War, or even Death. Hell, what about villains outside the X-Men's sphere of influence, like Doctor Doom or Loki? Best to keep it simple, though, so we're sticking with the classic tug-of-war between Xavier and Magneto. Who will win in the end?

So long,

Grey-X


	18. Fatal Attractions

Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 18: Fatal Attractions

11-27-2017

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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With a little more telepathic trickery from Cable, Mamoru got Ami and Mayumi into his car without anyone noticing, then drove them to Meiwa University Hospital. Thanks to the growing darkness afforded by the setting sun, Ami was able to sneak Naru's mother inside once they arrived. It was also fortunate that, for once, Ami could actually get hold of her mother. Normally, Saeko Mizuno was extremely busy. It was a minor miracle her mother answered the phone at all. Once Ami explained why they needed her, Saeko put all her other plans for the evening on hold to treat Mayumi. She barely knew Mayumi, but her being the mother of a good friend of Ami's was all she needed to hear.

Ami and Mamoru stuck around, providing assistance as needed while Saeko secretly treated Mayumi in an examination room she set aside, with explicit instructions not to be disturbed. Saeko knew she couldn't risk bringing in any nurses or other doctors, not with passions about mutants running so high. Saeko herself didn't even care about Mayumi's daughter or what she had done, concerned only with the patient in front of her. Ami had never been prouder to have the renowned Dr. Saeko Mizuno as her mother.

"As it is, there doesn't seem to be any indication of a concussion, or any other serious complications," said Saeko as she applied stitched to the gash on Mayumi's forehead. "In any event, I'm going to provide some medication that should alleviate any symptoms that may pop up later, in case I'm wrong. Without the hospital staff's knowledge, of course."

"Of course," muttered Mayumi, wincing as Saeko went on with stitching her up. "The sooner I can get back to the jewelry store, the better."

"Along with other obvious reasons, I suggest you don't reopen just yet," said Mamoru. "I understand how not being cowed by all those bigots is an important symbolic gesture, but maybe you should wait a day or two."

"In any event, the ones who threw bricks were arrested, and the windows should be replaced soon," added Ami. "There's no need to push yourself, Ms. Osaka."

"Something, as a medical professional, I strongly agree with," said Saeko. "I'd rather not see you back here so soon because you overexerted yourself."

"I'm… still surprised you agreed to see me at all," said Mayumi.

"Some others in this hospital may not take their oaths as medical professionals seriously, but I do," said Saeko with an acid bite to her voice. "You're the mother of Ami's friend, that's all I needed to hear. Besides, now I feel we need to get to know each other better. I'm raising a daughter even smarter than I am. I want to hear how you're raising a daughter who's stronger than, well, just about everyone."

 _She really doesn't care if people are mutants,_ Ami thought in amazement. _I guess with how intelligent I turned out to be, Mama feels she already has one for a daughter too. Oh, if she only knew the whole truth…_

Mayumi snorted. "Not very well, if I can't keep her from slipping out to pulp yakuza every other night," said Mayumi darkly.

Saeko had finished with the stitches, and was now wrapping a bandage around Mayumi's head. "Well, I'm sure Naru had a good reason," she said dismissively. "I don't know how you dealt with it, though. Knowing she was out there in the line of fire. I'd lose my mind if I knew my little Ami got involved in something like that." Ami hoped her mother didn't notice those words making her wither as she turned to smile at her. "I can just imagine you leaving a message like that on our dry erase board, Ami. 'Sorry Mama, I can't make it for dinner. I'm out fighting bad guys using superpowers and a weird costume, and I'm probably being shot at.'"

Ami smiled back awkwardly, but hissed softly so only Mamoru could hear, "Never ever ever ever bring up Sentinels around her, got that?"

"Agreed," Mamoru whispered back. "Tough as your mother seems, I don't think she could handle the totality of what being Sailor Mercury means. And Sentinels, being something more familiar…"

As Ami watched her mother wrap up her work with Mayumi, her mind kept dwelling on the Sentinels. And the creator of the newest breed. Her mother wore glasses, and sometimes let her dark purple hair grow out long. So sometimes, she resembled Erina Kizachi. Perhaps that was one reason why Ami was once infatuated with Kizachi and her work. No more, now that Kizachi had shown her true colors. It was amazing how a normal human, with no powers at all, was swiftly proving to be the most dangerous, vexing enemy the Sailor Senshi had ever faced.

 _Whatever's going on, Kizachi had a hand in this. She's partially responsible for Naru's mother getting caught in the crossfire, I just know it,_ Ami fumed inwardly, clenching a fist. Kizachi's husband kept stirring up anti-mutant sentiment, and she had yakuza connections through her nephew. Perhaps she had engineered conditions so that Naru would be goaded into attacking the yakuza with a vengeance, and helped foster an environment that would generate fear of a mutant vigilante targeting them. But why? What was her endgame? Was it all because of this vendetta against Sailor Moon? _And on top of that, it couldn't be a coincidence, that that monorail car was about to tumble into the drink right when Naru was there. Kizachi's got all sorts of connections. Could it have been… Magneto!?_

The thought made Ami shiver. Such a powerful mutant, able to blend in and strike like that. The Senshi, or even the X-Men, might never see Magneto coming the next time. And Kizachi probably had him on her side. That meant the danger grew with every passing day. So far, the X-Men had urged the Sailor Senshi to hold off on a full-scale assault on Kizachi Technologies. There was no guarantee what they were looking for was at her corporate headquarters, and the X-Men didn't want the Senshi's reputation to go in the toilet.

Still, Ami felt she had to do something, had to get answers. She was supposed to be as smart as Erina Kizachi, smarter even. The time to find out was coming. _Berthier said one bold move could change the time,_ Ami remembered. _Soon, I'll have to make one._

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Morning finally came after a troubled night for all of the Sailor Senshi. That included Haruka and Michiru, as distant as they sometimes seemed from the affairs of the Inner Senshi. They took their duty to their princess seriously. Naru being exposed like this, and the furor that erupted in the wake of that revelation, could be viewed as nothing but a colossal failure. Something that stabbed at Usagi's heart, and thus theirs in turn. While the two of them stayed at home, reviewing the X-Men's files on everyone else's urging, tragedy struck in such a way it would cut to the core of their princess's soul.

The morning light brought no clarity for Haruka, no hope. As soon as Michiru turned on the television, Haruka grit her teeth, hearing the grating voice of Kizachi's husband. She never paid attention to the blowhard before, but now, knowing that millions in Japan actually did turned her stomach. What made it worse was, a short time ago, a part of her agreed with him about the dangers of mutantkind, and Naru in particular. Haruka knew firsthand how dangerous she was, and truthfully, she was still wary of the girl. She couldn't soon forget seeing how Naru worked over the people in that riverside warehouse, or Naru's lingering wariness and distrust of the Senshi. But whatever Naru's sins, that could be sorted out later. The Kizachi family was the bigger, more pressing danger.

"Don't be fooled by Eclipse's supposed act of charity yesterday afternoon, my friends," drawled Seto Kizachi. Going as far as to use the stupid nickname the yakuza stuck Naru with, as some sort of slur. Haruka was holding a breakfast shake, not having the appetite for a proper meal, and felt the metal crunch as she clenched her hand. "This does not balance the scales after spending weeks skulking in the shadows, assaulting our citizens. Nor does it diminish the threat of other mutants in our midst. Don't forget, Magneto attacked one of our ships not too far from our island nation. Who knows whether or not Eclipse has already allied herself with Magneto, and…"

That was all either of them heard before Haruka threw her can at the television so hard, it smashed right through the glass. Michiru stared at the television blankly as it spat out sparks and smoke. "Well, you showed our television who's boss. Brilliant way to deal with pesky machines," Michiru said dryly. "We better tell Naru to have plenty of sport shakes on hand in case she runs into Sentinels."

Haruka only half-heard her, needing to force herself to steady her breathing. This did little to soothe her seething anger. No, she needed to get her hands on the real thing. Wring his neck, before moving on to his wretched wife.

"If we strike now, there might not be any more Sentinels," Haruka hissed.

"That's what we thought when we went after Eclipse, and we wound up almost making a huge mistake. Again," Michiru reminded her.

Haruka didn't need any reminders about how the Senshi all gave Naru a vicious beatdown. Naru barely trusted them now, and the fallout from her identity as Eclipse being exposed could shatter the poor girl. That made it all the more important to move against Erina Kizachi, and fast.

"Things are different now, and you know it," said Haruka. "Now we know who our true enemy is. And whatever Kizachi's plan is, we're seeing it unfold right now, while we sit on our asses scanning computer files."

"You think Kizachi made that monorail car tumble into the sea?" Michiru asked skeptically

"No. I think she had Magneto do it," said Haruka. "There's never been a monorail accident quite like this before, Michiru. That it happened at the exact time Naru was at that stop…"

"But if Magneto was there, wouldn't Logan have sniffed him out?" Michiru pointed out. "He figured out Eclipse wasn't Erina Kizachi with his nose alone. Surely he would've known if the X-Men's worst enemy was following them."

"Maybe… maybe he wasn't in the crowd. Or he was in some spot where Wolverine couldn't get a whiff of him. Magneto might know how to elude him, they even worked together once," said Haruka. "And it's not just the monorail car. We know about Gai Izumi. Maybe through him, Kizachi got his group to step up their pressure on Mayumi Osaka and her business."

Michiru considered Haruka's theory for a moment. "So, you think Kizachi is trying to get to our princess through Naru? It… seems like a lot of trouble to go through, with a good chance that such a plan wouldn't work as intended."

"And yet, Naru's life has been turned upside-down, and it's eating at Usagi too," said Haruka. "Whether it was intentional or not, Kizachi's got some endgame I'd rather not see reach fruition. Sentinels, working with Magneto… These are things just as dangerous as anything the Senshi have faced before. We've got to make our move."

Michiru stared at her quizzically. "You're suggesting we strike at the heart of Kizachi Technologies?" It wasn't really a question.

"Even if that won't stop the Sentinels' construction outright, it will at least slow Kizachi down," said Haruka. "And I'm not even suggesting something that drastic. First we at least get in and look for more answers. We got in before."

"Thanks to Telulu and Viluy carving a path of destruction for us to follow," Michiru reminded her. "Now, even the X-Man who walks through walls can't sneak into sensitive areas."

"We need to try, regardless," said Haruka vehemently. "This isn't the first time we've faced this situation."

"You mean Mugen Academy," said Michiru with a sullen look. "We waited too long, and when we made our move, the Death Busters transformed Hotaru into Mistress 9."

"We've been trying so hard to avoid the mistakes of the past, only to wind up nearly repeating our worst one. And now I'm convinced Kizachi wanted it that way," spat Haruka. "Well, I refuse to be too scared to try and strike again. Turns out that Kizachi has no powers whatsoever. All she can do is build those Sentinels, and they can't fit inside her building. We get in, turn the place upside-down for information Ami and the X-Men can chew on later, and corner that horse-humping bitch and demand answers. Are you with me?"

Michiru hesitated only a moment. "Always, Haruka." Haruka could tell she still had reservations. If she was honest with herself, Haruka wasn't as confident as she tried to sound. But while the two of them were trying to come to terms with their horrific mistake, tragedy struck the poor girl again. If she didn't try to keep Kizachi from ruining Naru's life even more, Haruka wouldn't be able to live with herself.

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It had been so weird before, the sensation of going right through a wall, as brief as it had been. This time, however, circumstances forced Makoto to endure it longer, and it wasn't any less unsettling despite being ready for it. A couple of cops were assigned to stay right outside the OSA-P, both to protect the place and watch for Naru returning home. Thankfully, they wouldn't think to look for Kitty phasing both Makoto and Naru's mother up through the floor, right in the middle of the store's showroom. Makoto took a deep breath upon being unphased, trying to get her head in order. Mayumi was having an even harder time. Given her head injury, that was hardly a surprise.

"I don't think I could ever get used to that," Mayumi muttered in a whisper, a hand over her heart.

"I _KNOW_ I'll never get used to that," grumbled Makoto. _How the other X-Men did is anyone's guess,_ she added silently.

"Hopefully, I won't need to do that many more times, Ms. Osaka," said Kitty. "Now that you're in, with no one the wiser, you're essentially hidden in plain sight."

"I still intend to reopen in a few days," Mayumi reminded her, looking at where the shattered windows were boarded up. "And even before then, I won't just hide. My daughter… I have to see her, make sure she's alright."

"Naru's fine, Ms. Osaka. We won't let anyone get to her," said Makoto quickly. _And by 'we', I mean the Sailor Senshi. They'll take her to America if that's what Naru chooses, but we'll protect our friend in the meantime._ At the moment, Naru was still at the Tsukinos', with Usagi watching out for her. But she figured either Logan was hanging around to sniff out unwelcome guests, or Cable and their professor were scanning the area telepathically. It was still a bit galling for Makoto. In the past, her muscle alone was enough to protect friends from everyday bullies, and her lightning could fry whatever monsters came after Naru or anyone else. This time, the threats were far more legion. Thugs chucking bricks, giant killer robots… No wonder Usagi seemed to think the Senshi needed help to counter them all.

"I can sneak her in sometime tonight," said Kitty.

"I… would appreciate that, Ms. Pryde. I want to tell Naru how proud I am of what she did, saving those people on the monorail. That I have no regrets about what's happened, and she shouldn't either," said Mayumi. "I-I-I do hope she chooses to join you, Ms. Pryde. Now that I've seen what good Naru's powers can really do, any doubts I had before are gone. Do what you can to convince Naru to become one of you."

"Let's wait before asking Naru to make a choice that big, Ms. Osaka," said Kitty.

"For now, you two need to look out for yourselves," added Makoto. "Naru needs to lie low, and you've got to give yourself time. Don't exert yourself."

To Makoto's surprise, Mayumi reached over to hug her. "Oh, I'm sure you'll look out for her, too," she said softly. "I'm always hearing about how you protected her and all your friends from bullies."

"You have no idea," Makoto said dryly, thinking back to all the times the Senshi's enemies targeted Naru. And now those Sentinels were out there…

"Just promise me, as long as she stays in Japan, you'll keep looking out for her," pleaded Mayumi.

Makoto let out a nervous laugh. "Well, considering Naru can juggle pickup trucks, I don't think she needs bodyguards anymore."

"No, Makoto. She'll need more than that. She'll need her friends more than ever," said Mayumi. Makoto didn't know what to say. Considering she zapped Naru silly before learning the truth, she doubted she would ever trust her completely again.

Mayumi faltered a little in Makoto's arms, prompting Kitty to rush forward to help steady her. "We'll all be looking out for Naru, don't worry. Just focus on getting better in the meantime."

Makoto and Kitty led Mayumi up the stairs, and saw to it she was situated in her room with everything she needed. As the two of them went back down the stairs, Makoto turned to Kitty. "So where are you going now?"

"Me? Nowhere. I'm sticking around here to keep watch until Logan can relieve me later. He must figure he won't need to go sniffing around into yakuza affairs, since they might be tempted to come after Naru's mother," said Kitty. "You can stick around and be an extra pair of eyes, if you'd like."

"Don't act as if I take orders from you, or you're doing me a favor," spat Makoto. "Naru may be a potential recruit for you, but she's our _FRIEND_."

"Wow, that's harsh," said Kitty. "It's almost like I'm stuck on detail with Marrow again."

"Who?" asked Makoto.

"Oh, just someone I hope Naru doesn't have to bunk with if she comes with us," said Kitty. "She's quite brusque and… a bit eccentric. Like 'keeps the rats she hunts in the sewers and subways in her room for a couple days before eating them' eccentric."

Makoto almost threw up a little in her mouth. "Eats… rats… From subways and sewers… Why would she…"

"Because that's where she used to live," said Kitty. "Anyway, we're going off on a tangent here. Something's bothering you, and I'd like to think it's not just because I'm in close proximity."

"You would?" Makoto asked dubiously.

"Yeah, I figured from what I looked over all those reports about the Senshi, you'd be the one I'd have the most in common with," said Kitty.

Makoto was utterly dumbstruck. "B-B-But… I figured a computer nerd like you would work better with Ami."

"True, Ami and I _HAVE_ worked well together already," said Kitty. "But let's face it, being the blue-haired super-scientist is more Hank's speed. As for you, reading about how Sailor Jupiter didn't fear throwing herself in the thick of things… Well, I guess at first, you reminded me a bit of myself."

"Not that you have much to fear, since hardly anything can touch you," said Makoto.

"Says someone who can tank most of what a Sentinel can dish out," said Kitty.

"Good point," said Makoto. "But you must've had an idea which Senshi you challenged to a chess game. Why'd you have to interrogate me like that?"

"I'll level with you, Makoto. Like I said, I didn't know what to make of you yet. And the way you sounded so evasive… Well, perhaps I've been jaded by seeing too many humans too afraid to make a stand about anything, not just give in to blind hatred. But now I see how wrong I was about you," said Kitty.

"How so?" asked Makoto.

"Come on, it's clear how much you care about Naru. What she was born as, what she's done, none of it matters to you," said Kitty.

"But what the Senshi have done, or didn't do, still matters to her," Makoto pointed out.

"You'll just have to give her time," said Kitty.

"Given time, she may join you. But she'll never consider joining us now, and may never completely forgive us," said Makoto.

"Is that what this is all about?" demanded Kitty. "You think this mess with Naru has shamed the Sailor Senshi somehow?"

"We almost made a huge mistake with Naru, one you X-Men had to prevent," said Makoto. "Besides, Naru's one of you. I'm no stranger to being ostracized, but you still understand what she's going through better than any of us. And you've dealt with these Sentinels before. It took four of us just to beat back one."

"As if Sentinels never give the X-Men trouble," Kitty pointed out. "Don't you get it yet? The X-Men are counting on the Senshi to help crush the Sentinels this time!"

"Really?" asked Makoto, flummoxed.

"We just sent four senior, seasoned X-Men back to investigate a hotspot in America because we're confident the Sailor Senshi have the extra smarts, muscle and firepower we'll need," said Kitty. "You've already trashed one of these new Sentinels, and we learned firsthand the Senshi are no pushovers."

"Still, I can't help feeling useless," said Makoto. "Seeing what happened with that monorail... I'm nowhere near strong enough to do what Naru did, and I couldn't have gotten people out before it toppled like the three of you."

"It was no picnic for me either," said Kitty. "Seeing that monorail car fall with Logan still inside, unable to do a thing… Look, Makoto, Naru's got super-strength, dark energy and that oily goo. I've got my phasing power, ninja skills and computer smarts, and you've got mad kung fu and bring the lightning. We just do the best we can with what we've got, and we're stronger working together."

"You really mean that?" asked Makoto.

"The X-Men have teamed up with other superheroes before, and it let us beat the odds," said Kitty. "Why would this time be any different?"

"Here's hoping it won't be," muttered Makoto. She appreciated how Kitty was trying to cheer her up, and she realized how unusual it was for her to now lack confidence. Still, the knowledge of how badly she, and all the Senshi, let Naru down cut deep.

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The Outer Senshi, despite their resolve, decided to wait until sundown before trying to break into Kizachi Technologies. Not only would it be too difficult to pull this off in broad daylight, but the X-Men and the Inner Senshi had a point about their reputations. Having law enforcement constantly hounding the Senshi would complicate any future missions. Still, Michiru could tell it sickened her partner to no end, letting such a thing affect their decisions. The wait until the sun went back down gnawed at Haruka's soul enough. Now that darkness had fallen and they made their way toward Kizachi's corporate headquarters, Michiru could see that loathing within Haruka still bubbled up.

"It's… much like that night, when we saved that ungrateful bitch's life," Haruka commented as she peeked out from behind one of the company trucks. Michiru had to agree. The eerie sense of calm that belied the knowledge that terrible evil awaited within. Of course, this time, the evil stemmed from the one they wound up saving. "To think, we could've kept all of this from happening, just by smashing Kizachi's heart of pure evil when we had the chance."

"We had no way of knowing that kind of monster she was," Michiru reminded her.

"Yes we did," spat Haruka. "She flat out told us she would soon be gunning for Senshi, if we had bothered to listen. And we never gave Kizachi another thought until now, but we should've remembered her threat."

"Well, perhaps tonight we can rectify our oversight," said Michiru. She hoped she sounded more confident than she felt. As much as she agreed with Haruka about the need to finally take the fight to Kizachi, something still bothered Michiru. A subtle churning in the seas warned her of danger, and she wondered if Haruka sensed something similar on the winds. Then again, when did life-threatening danger ever stop them before?

So the two of them finally moved in, avoiding the cameras they remembered being there the last time, sticking to the shadows. _If we were transformed and had our white fukus… Maybe the X-Men have the right idea, with those black bodysuits that blend into the night,_ Michiru realized. They looped around to the other side of the building. As expected, Kizachi had beefed up her building's defenses considerably. The door that Telulu and Viluy made short work of was replaced with one that would require one of their attacks to force open. Doing so would surely attract the attention of anyone inside. So would simply transforming while so close. _But Storm made it farther than this the other night, with no one the wiser,_ Michiru thought with a scowl as she ripped open a nearby box, exposing the wires. _Then again, she can use her powers anytime. We can't transform into Sailor Senshi yet, otherwise we'll set off the sensors Usagi said alerted Kizachi._ Out loud, she said, "I'm not Sailor Mercury, but I should be able to jerry-rig this to gain entry. Still, perhaps we should have asked her to come along."

"A waste of time, Michiru," muttered Haruka. "No doubt she would have urged restraint, just like the others."

"I think you may underestimate just how profound her disillusionment with Kizachi is. And how much fighting her Sentinel affected her," said Michiru as she toiled on. Soon enough, she coaxed the door to slide open, inviting them into utter darkness. Haruka cracked her knuckles and marched in without a second thought. Sighing, Michiru followed her partner. Whatever danger awaited, she wouldn't let Haruka face it alone.

They decided to try the laboratory Usagi mentioned, the one she said even Kitty couldn't slip into. If they were to find Kizachi tonight, or anything useful, that would be where to look first. Thankfully, at this late hour, there didn't seem to be many lab workers or other employees of Kizachi's out and about. Slipping by them was ridiculously easy, but that only served to fuel Michiru's anxiety.

Despite her determination to get her hands on Kizachi, Haruka knew this too. "So far, there's been no trouble. Surely we've been seen on some cameras by now."

"Storm got in this far, didn't she?" said Michiru, trying to shore up her confidence. "But you're right. The way the seas are roiling… It's like we're being let in."

"Should we turn back then?" Haruka suggested, a bite to her voice.

Michiru chuckled. "You know the answer to that."

"Let's keep moving, then. The laboratory Usagi said Kitty couldn't break into should be up ahead," said Haruka. Along the way they rounded a corner, and came across a security guard, his back turned to them. It was a simple matter for Haruka to clamp her hands on his throat and mouth, put him in a sleeper hold, then take his keys and security cards once he drifted off.

They stealthily made their way to a set of sliding doors that certainly looked like what Usagi had described. Michiru placed a hand on the wall. She thought she could sense some sort of current, the very thing that stymied Kitty days ago. "I believe we've found it," said Michiru. "Now here's hoping we snagged security cards with high enough clearance." She slid the card Haruka boosted through the electronic lock, and mercifully, the doors began to slide open.

The area within was absurdly spacious. In the middle of the day, no doubt it was bustling with engineers and programmers, but at the moment it was barren. That eerie emptiness tugged at Michiru even more than the sense that the churning of the seas was about to pick up. "Haruka, I don't like this," Michiru pleaded in a whisper. "There should still be people here, and if getting in this part of the facility was so easy, how come Storm didn't make it this far? She's a thief on top of being trained in hand-to-hand combat."

Michiru could sense how blood still boiled in Haruka's veins. Thankfully, it wasn't bad enough that she couldn't see reason. There was a hint of wariness in her partner's eyes. Perhaps the winds were whispering something similar to her.

Footsteps made them look across the expansive laboratory. There, far on the other side, was a woman in a lab coat, wearing dark glasses. She seemed completely oblivious to their presence.

"Trap or not, this is an opportunity we can't pass up," Haruka whispered back. Michiru nodded in agreement. They ducked down a set of stairs and slunk across the center of the laboratory, using the many workstations for cover. Soon enough, they ascended the stairs on the other side, and Kizachi was still there, her backs turned to them.

Haruka pounced on the opportunity. She grabbed Kizachi by the shoulders, twirled her around, and slammed her against the guard rails along the top level. "We got you cornered on your own turf, Kizachi," Haruka hissed. No doubt Kizachi could feel her breath washing over her face, though oddly, she didn't look all that surprised or fearful. "Now, you're going to tell us everything we want to know. About the Sentinels, about why you've been conspiring to make Naru Osaka's life a living hell, everything!"

Kizachi's face had been completely blank, impassive. But Michiru felt her blood chill when suddenly Kizachi simply smirked at Haruka. An instant later, Kizachi sank her knee into Haruka's gut, and in one fluid motion, flipped Haruka over her shoulder and over the edge. Michiru heard Haruka land hard on a workstation below, tools tumbling to the floor.

"Haruka!" Michiru cried, but then Kizachi rounded on her. Michiru launched herself at Kizachi, aiming to snap her neck with a quick chop. But Kizachi effortlessly countered that, then launched a spinning kick Michiru barely ducked under in time. Then Kizachi pressed on, forcing Michiru back, keeping her from checking on Haruka. Michiru came at Kizachi with everything she had, now fighting mad after seeing Haruka go down, but the little roboticist was swiftly proving her equal hand-to-hand.

Thankfully, Michiru didn't have to fight alone for long. Haruka jumped up from below and grabbed the railing, flipping back over it. With a howl of fury, she rushed at Kizachi from behind. Kizachi ducked and rolled, moving past Michiru. After getting back on her feet, Kizachi made a series of spinning jumps backwards, fixing the pair with a mocking gaze after she finally stopped about ten meters away.

"Since when did Erina Kizachi become such a practiced martial artist!?" demanded Haruka, rubbing her head.

"Didn't thoroughly research what your enemy could do," spat Kizachi with a smile. "It wouldn't be the first mistake you two made, now would it?" With that, Kizachi strolled back toward them. Maybe it was the dim lighting, but she seemed to change. It looked like she was getting even shorter, her hair was shortening, the dark glasses somehow vanished and… her clothes were changing?

"Oh no, what in…" Haruka muttered, anguish filling her voice. Michiru just stared in disbelief. Whoever this was, she had just assumed the form of Hotaru Tomoe.

"Why do you keep coming after me?" pleaded 'Hotaru' innocently. Michiru knew this had to be a trick. Still, that perfect imitation of Hotaru's voice cut deep, rooting the two to the spot. "I never asked for this, I don't want to hurt anyone…" But then, she changed again, bringing back even more bitter memories. Now this trickster was mimicking Mistress 9! "Or do I!?" she finished, now with the voice of Hotaru's possessed self. Before Michiru and Haruka could get over their shock, Mistress 9's hair shot out to ensnare them like before. With a maniacal cackle, Mistress 9 flung them back down to the lower level.

Both of them skidded over another workstation, knocking over computer monitors before hitting the floor and springing back up. Mistress 9 flashed a mocking smile, daring them to try something else. "Michiru, u-u-u-use the mirror. P-P-P-Please tell me this is some sort of trick," Haruka stammered.

Michiru didn't take her eyes off Mistress 9 until she had the Deep Aqua Mirror out. As soon as she looked into it, their suspicions were confirmed. "It's not Hotaru at all! She's the mutant shapeshifter!"

"So Kizachi _did_ know we were coming, and sent her to toy with us," grumbled Haruka, pulling out her transformation stick. Michiru did the same. "It's long since past the time to transform, anyway. Uranus Planet Power Make-Up!"

"Neptune Planet Power Make-Up!"

As they transformed into Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune, the thing that was mimicking Mistress 9 changed again as well. Now she had assumed her true form, that of a blue-skinned redhead with eerie, yellow eyes, wearing a leather jacket, a silvery-grey dress, and a belt of silver skulls. Mystique just leered at them from the upper level, as if she was still amused by the two Senshi.

"Sailor Uranus, here to fight with elegance!" Uranus shouted.

"Sailor Neptune, here to fight with…" Neptune began, but someone grabbed her hair from behind and hoisted her up. A grunt from Uranus told her whoever it was did the same to her.

"Oh, will you two skirts put a sock in it!?" growled a menacing voice, right before he hurled them across the robotics lab, making them smack into solid concrete. Mercifully, now that they had transformed, they could eat the impact, painful as it still was, and immediately sprang back up. There, strolling toward them with the sharp claws on his fingers bared, was a huge man in a brown longcoat with ragged-looking garb underneath. At first glance, he could pass as human, but Neptune soon saw those unnatural, animalistic dark brown eyes underneath that mane of long, blond hair, not to mention the sharp teeth. "The name's Sabretooth, ladies," growled the big mutant with an evil grin. "So Sailor Uranus, I heard you tangled with the runty wannabe. Wanna see if you can handle the genuine article?"

Uranus produced her Space Sword and charged. "Neptune, take the shapeshifter!" she cried as she tackled Sabretooth to the ground. As Neptune turned back to Mystique, she saw the shapeshifter had produced a weapon of her own. Mystique jumped down from the upper level, firing a submachine gun. Neptune cartwheeled out of the way, but some of the bullets struck. Her fuku repelled them as with Eudial's trap, but the impact still shook Neptune to the bone. "S-S-Submarine Reflection!" she cried, sending out a watery blast. It cut a swath across the laboratory. _Well, at least we're wrecking the place good,_ Neptune noted silently.

Unfortunately, it didn't look like she tagged Mystique with her attack. In fact, she couldn't spot the shapeshifter at all, what with the dim lighting coupled with the smoke and dust now kicked up. Neptune was about to look into her mirror for clues, but then felt the barrel of a gun press against her temple, just under her tiara. "So Kizachi's intel was dead-on. The Sailor Senshi can eat normal gunfire," said Mystique mockingly. "But I wonder, is it because those fancy fukus act as magical Kevlar, or will a .45 caliber at point-blank range through the skull still do the job?"

Neptune froze in place, saying nothing, trying to tune out Uranus and Sabretooth's grunts and cries of pain. Mystique was fast, and nobody's fool, and her Senshi transformation might not afford her enough extra speed to pull this off. Despite her uncertainly, Neptune would not be cowed. She swung her forearm up, knocking the submachine gun away with her mirror. As bullets sprayed elsewhere, Neptune followed up with a spinning jump kick to Mystique's face. Neptune had hoped that would floor the shapeshifter, but Mystique rolled with it and sprang back up. Her forearm and fist enlarged to twice their normal size, clubbing Neptune and sending her backside careening into the concrete wall of the lower level.

An instant later, Uranus was slammed against it too. She had her sword sunk into Sabretooth's gut, but the massive mutant still tried to claw through Uranus's fuku with one hand, while clamping his other down on her face, his claws drawing some blood. Uranus grit her teeth as Sabretooth roared right in her face. Drawing her legs up, she kicked Sabretooth off of her. She dropped to the ground, gasping, but readied herself, figuring both mutants would charge any second.

Instead, Sabretooth grabbed Mystique and made a huge leap backwards, one that took them both to the upper level. "What in… They're retreating? Why?" Neptune demanded.

Neptune got her answer when she felt some sort of electrostatic surge rise through the floorboards, paralyzing them. It faded once Sabretooth and Mystique touched down, but it had been enough to bring the two Senshi to their knees. "W-W-W-Where did that come from?" Uranus wondered, her breathing ragged. "Some sort of countermeasure Kizachi had in place?"

As Neptune stood back up on wobbly legs, she noticed a lot of objects strewn around them were rattling about. Computer monitors, tools, metal carts… Even paper clips, loose change and bolts crept across the floor ever so slightly. Neptune's eyes widened, a horrible suspicion coming to her. "I-I-I… don't think so, Uranus…"

Neptune's worst fears were confirmed when she heard metal being twisted apart. All of a sudden, several beams from the guard rails flew down and wrapped around the two Senshi. Even worse, Neptune could feel a paralyzing current coursing through her again. A moment later, Neptune noticed two figures walking up to Mystique and Sabretooth. One of them had to be the real Erina Kizachi, while the other, at first glance, appeared to be simply a man in a grey coat and fedora. But considering only one man could've paralyzed and ensnared them like this…

"Victor, Raven, I do believe you've amused yourselves enough for one night," said the man in a sonorous, no-nonsense voice. He raised a hand, and suddenly Neptune and Uranus found themselves levitated over to the quartet. The sheer power Neptune could sense conducted through the metal, giving her an inkling of what the man could really do… "As for you, my dear Michiru Kaioh, let's point that mirror in a safer direction." With that, some of the metal bars wrapped around Neptune shifted about. The next thing Neptune knew, her arm was raised up, a beam wrapped around her it and her fist, making her mirror point right at Uranus's head. Uranus cast a nervous sideways glance her way before glaring at Magneto.

"So, you've finally decided to show yourself Magneto, and you know who we are," Uranus snarled.

With a sigh, Magneto removed his hat. For someone who survived the Nazi camps of World War II, he looked a bit younger than Neptune would have imagined. Still, the years took a toll on the man, what with his short, white hair and other signs of creeping age. "Indeed. Dr. Erina Kizachi has provided me valuable intel on the Sailor Senshi. And as I understand, my old friend has shared information pertaining to myself, my Acolytes and the Brotherhood."

"So it's true. You and Professor Xavier once were good friends, but he found out you were just too bloodthirsty," Neptune spat contemptuously.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but the two of you have no standing to lecture anyone about friendships strained by differences in tactics," said Kizachi with a sneer.

Mystique laughed as she changed again, this time taking Sailor Moon's form. Clasping her hands, she mockingly pleaded, "Oh, I'm sure if we put our hearts together, we can find a way to do this without stepping on anyone!" She laughed again. Hearing such a chilling laugh made with Usagi's voice made Neptune's blood run cold.

But it simply angered Uranus to no end. She struggled futilely against the metal bars holding her. "Stop it! Don't you dare assume her form, you witch!" she roared.

Mystique simply shrugged her shoulders, then reverted to her true form. "'Witch'? Aren't you two the only ones here who can use magic?" she asked delicately.

"The point remains that for a duo that's all about doing whatever's necessary to win, you seem to find yourselves paired up with allies who vex you to no end with their scruples," said Kizachi. "First the Inner Senshi, now the X-Men. You've been granted access to the latter's database. Surely you've read about how they handled Dark Phoenix."

Neptune shuddered inwardly. Naturally, she and Uranus relished having so much new intel on extraterrestrial threats, but the X-Men's files on Dark Phoenix were difficult to read. It was almost like reliving the whole mess with Sailor Saturn. "And yet, the X-Men were right in fighting to keep us from Eclipse," Neptune said quickly.

"Ah yes, that must've been difficult," said Magneto. "Thinking she represented an old enemy reborn, convinced she was nothing but a thug, a butcher. Only to discover she was just a girl you knew rather well, trying to protect family. All that righteous anger, finding out it was misplaced…"

"Don't talk to us about righteous anger, Magneto. And don't preach when it comes to Naru," snarled Uranus. "That monorail car… That was _YOU_ , wasn't it!? You _WANTED_ Naru to expose herself! There's no other explanation for…" Uranus cried out just as Magneto glowered at her. Neptune could see the metal bars binding her partner constricting a little.

"Stop it, Magneto!" demanded Neptune. "She's right though, isn't she!? You got Naru to expose her Eclipse identity, figuring she'd see things your way afterwards."

"Indeed, something tells me Naru Osaka's eyes have been opened," said Magneto airily. "First needing her power to scare humans so ready to prey on their own kind, now the explosion of hatred after her being a Good Samaritan." He still refused to actually admit to anything. Small surprise there, since it was the Outer Senshi in quite a precarious situation, not he.

"A seed has been planted, for sure," added Mystique. "What fruit will grow as a result, I suspect we'll see soon." The tone of her voice told Neptune there was more going on than she and Uranus suspected.

"Well, these two ain't gonna be around to see it, are they?" growled Sabretooth. He reached over to grab Uranus by the chin. Neptune struggled against her restraints as she watched those claws lightly drag against Uranus's skin. Uranus betrayed no signs of fear, merely meeting Sabretooth with a defiant gaze. "I say we just waste them now. Two less skirts with magic sparkles the X-Men can throw at us later…"

"No, Creed!" cried Kizachi suddenly in a commanding voice, stepping forward.

"Come again?" Sabretooth asked challengingly, leering down at the roboticist.

"Call it being a slave to scruples myself, Creed, but I haven't forgotten that I owe these two my life," said Kizachi without a hint of fear. Then she turned to the Outer Senshi. "Consider us even now. You saved me from the Death Busters, so I'll have Lehnsherr spare your lives. Besides, it's not even you two I'm after. Far from it. Your princess is the only one I really want. I only need to see her heart shatter to pieces."

"That's supposed to make us hate you any less?" spat Uranus.

"You presume much, Ms. Kizachi," said Magneto dangerously.

"I've asked very little of you, Lehnsherr, beyond what's been absolutely necessary," said Kizachi, still betraying no signs of unease. "Helping me balance the scales is less than nothing in comparison to what you'll gain once our plans reach fruition."

"I suppose that's true," said Magneto, relenting.

"What's Magneto getting out of this, Kizachi!?" Neptune demanded angrily. "More importantly, what are _YOU_ getting out of it? Is it just some sick need for revenge!? Against Sailor Moon!? _WHY_!? Why such hatred for the princess!? You were never part of the Dark Kingdom, so what did she ever do to you!?"

"It's more like what Usagi Tsukino _DIDN'T_ do, Kaioh," was Kizachi's acid retort. "Like I told her, do a little more digging into my affairs, and the answer may come." She stepped forward, holding Neptune's chin in her hand as Sabretooth had with Uranus. Uranus had suppressed a shudder of fear, but for some reason, Kizachi's touch made Neptune's blood run cold anew. As if this woman had a greater capacity for evil than she dared imagine. "I like you two, really. You have the capacity, the resolve, to do whatever needs to be done. But it seems the whole mess with Hotaru Tomoe, and now Eclipse, have blunted your killer edge. A pity."

"Sailor Moon proved us wrong both times," sneered Uranus defiantly. "She's changed us for the better. We stand with her, until the end."

"As I said, a pity," said Kizachi coolly. "That decision may guarantee your end comes sooner than you'd like. But not tonight. Lehnsherr?" Neptune heard some doors open on the side of the robotics lab adjacent to where they first entered. "And don't worry, though the cameras clearly recorded your transformation, I'll make sure no one sees it. Though, of course, I can blame the destruction of my laboratory on out-of-control mutants. One more incident I can use in my inevitable pitch to take my Sentinel program to the next stage."

"So you _DO_ want another Sentinel program launched, Magneto!" cried Uranus. "What for!? Once Kizachi uses them on Sailor Moon, won't they be turned on your kind!?"

"Will they?" Magneto asked airily. "As Kizachi said, it's best you not concern yourself with our affairs. Worry about yourselves. Next time, you may not be shown mercy."

With that, Magneto made a single gesture. The two Senshi were flung out of the laboratory, through the opened doors. They went smashing through a window, and kept on being propelled right across Tokyo's skyline. The whole time, Sailor Neptune could still feel Magneto's power resonating through the metal.

There was little doubt now. The man was just as powerful as Rogue claimed, a fact that hit home again when they came tumbling down in the yard right behind their house. A reminder of how Magneto knew their secret identities, as well as a demonstration of his power. Of course, he hadn't bothered to undo their bindings, leaving the pair there lying in the grass, still hopelessly trapped. Neptune could only lie there, trying to steady her breathing, trying to figure out how this mission went south so spectacularly.

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Water was supposed to be Sailor Mercury's element, where she could feel at ease. But looking down at the churning waters where that monorail car would have sunk, Mercury felt no comfort. To think, if Naru hadn't been there, a good number of people, including Logan, might have drowned. _But that one act of heroism has cost Naru so much,_ Mercury thought with disgust.

It had been a simple matter to slip past the police officers assigned to patrol the now-closed monorail stop, thanks to her visor. Climbing down the rocky wall to investigate where the track's pillars collapsed, however, was another matter. Even with the extra strength afforded by her transformation, it was an arduous task, given how badly it had been weathered down over the millennia.

"Ugh, Makoto's the sporty one. She could've done this in half the time," muttered Mercury. "Or maybe rock climbing is another one of Haruka's plethora of talents." Mercury was more than halfway down the rocky wall, thankfully, which should've been close enough for her visor to gather detailed information. She looked away from the wall, and after being sure she had a firm enough grasp with one hand, reactivated her visor. Mercury waited patiently for the visor to complete its scans, hoping she was close enough to find what she was looking for.

Mercury was so focused on the data coming in, however, she neglected to notice how gusty winds were making some rather powerful waves splash against the rocky wall. One slammed into it pretty hard, the wave crashing right underneath her. This startled Mercury enough to make her lose her grip. With a sharp cry, she tumbled off the wall, falling headfirst toward the water. Mercury shut her eyes, praying that her transformation granted enough stamina to stave off paralysis if her head hit stone hiding right beneath the water's surface.

But moments passed, and she didn't plunge into the water. Opening her eyes, Mercury saw her face was hovering mere centimeters above the sea's churning surface. Looking up, she saw that she was being suspended by, well, nothing. Nothing she could see with the naked eye, at any rate. That left only one probable explanation, one that didn't require any scans.

"Cable," Mercury muttered, looking around. That's when she could make out a form floating toward her. The black uniform let him blend in with the nighttime gloom, but light from the monorail stop above reflected off his exposed bionic arm. And he wasn't alone. Storm was flying toward her as well, also in uniform. Though of course, she suspended herself with the winds she controlled, not telekinesis.

"My apologies, Sailor Mercury," said Storm as Cable levitated her up to them. "It appears my approach led to you nearly taking a dip."

Cable set Mercury right-side up, and Storm offered her hand. After a moment's hesitation, Mercury took it, and Storm pulled her close. She could feel the winds swirling all around Storm. Cable, meanwhile, looked intently at the collapsed pillar Mercury had been scrutinizing moments before.

Turning back to Storm, Mercury asked, "Not that I'm mad about what just happened but, just what are you and Cable doing here, Ororo?"

"Same as you, I'd wager," said Cable. "No doubt you suspect this pillar didn't just happen to collapse by itself when Osaka was conveniently waiting for the next train."

"It's… not just your arm that's mechanical, is it?" Mercury asked delicately.

"The term is actually 'techno-organic', but you're quite correct," said Cable. "You got here first, though. Care to share what data you've crunched thus far?"

Realizing that her visor's system had enough time to analyze all the scan data, Mercury flipped her computer open, now that Storm had her. It didn't take long to see that her darkest suspicions were confirmed. "Just about all the metallic particles… They've been rearranged, as if subjected to an intense magnetic field! He was here!"

"My eye's pretty much telling me the same thing," said Cable. Mercury looked back over to Cable, and his left eye briefly flashed.

"So, Magneto wished for Naru to expose herself," said Storm darkly.

"But why would Magneto want that!?" cried Mercury.

"No doubt to make Osaka more receptive to his sales pitch to turn on humanity," said Cable gruffly. "And considering that Kizachi has it out for your boss, Ami, it stands to reason she wanted to hurt her by tormenting Osaka."

"M-M-Magneto really would've risked all those innocent people dying, just so people would figure out Naru's a mutant?" asked Mercury, aghast. Though in her heart, she already knew the answer, terrible as it was.

"All too often, Magneto has shown disregard for the lives of normal humans if there is a chance to further his own agenda," said Storm. "He views the ascendancy of mutantkind by any means necessary as paramount. All other concerns are secondary to him."

Mercury was nonplussed. For a time, she dared hope their newest enemies wouldn't prove as craven as Queen Beryl, and all those who followed her. For all intents and purposes, unlike all their old enemies, Magneto and Erina Kizachi were still human. Or that's what Mercury had hoped. This helped drive home just how unfettered the opposition truly was.

"He's unhinged, sure, Mercury, but he's been beaten before," said Cable. "The X-Men have trashed his plans plenty of times, and judging by the intel you've shared, the Senshi have also handled some tough customers. Whatever Magneto's up to in your country, we'll stop it together."

Mercury wished she shared Cable's optimism. "We might beat him, Cable, but in a way, Kizachi and Magneto might have already won," she said, tears welling up. "Even if the Senshi and the X-Men stop them, the damage is done to Naru's life. She's lost faith in the Sailor Senshi, and now she may lose faith in humanity." Mercury couldn't keep herself from crying. Storm said nothing, merely holding her closer and letting her cry. Moments later, Mercury said, "Storm, how do you do it? You must've faced so many situations like this, watching people you care about have their lives destroyed, left without hope…"

"Far too often. More often than you can imagine," Storm replied softly. "And there have been times when I wanted to stop being the X-Men's leader and fly away, believe me."

"W-W-W-What stopped you?" Mercury sniffled.

"Many times, it was the simple realization that too many I cared for still needed me," said Storm. "I imagine it was the same with Sailor Moon."

"And it looks like we're needed again, now," said Cable. "I just got a flash from Logan."

"How? Wolverine's not telepathic, is he?" asked Mercury.

"He is, however, connected to all of us by rapports established by Nathan and the professor," said Storm.

"He's saying we need to get to the OSA-P, fast," said Cable. With that, he shot up, propelled by his telekinetic power.

"Hold on, Ami," said Storm, hanging onto Mercury a little tighter. A moment later, her winds kicked up, carrying the both of them high into the sky, following close behind Cable. Mercury said nothing. Normally, she would marvel at how someone could manipulate wind to do this. But dread over what they would find at the jewelry store eclipsed everything else. For all of Storm and Cable's insistence that she should be confident, Mercury dreaded things were about to get far, far worse.

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This chapter was such a pain. For too long, I had no idea just how it was going to flow. I couldn't decide if the middle segment should've been from Makoto's POV or Kitty's. Is this too soon for them to start getting over their rivalry? Too late? Plus, I had to go watch some episodes of the live-action Sailor Moon to have enough material on Ami's mother to work with. And on top of that, the part where Uranus and Neptune finally tackle some truly evil mutants took on a life of its own. Mystique messing with their minds by morphing into Hotaru? Added at the very last minute. It went on much longer than I intended, but I guess the very first encounter between Sailor Senshi and Magneto, plus some of his minions, couldn't be rushed.

So long,

Grey-X


	19. Day of Decision

Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 19: Day of Decision

12-11-2017

By Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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Sailor Moon rubbed the bridge of her nose, shutting her eyes tightly as she shook her head in frustration. Upon opening them again, she looked back down at Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus. Just dropped off in their own backyard, wrapped up in yellow-and-black striped metal bars. Luckily for them, their little encounter with Magneto didn't short out their communicators. Really powerful magnetic fields could do that, right? It didn't matter. As it was, Sailor Moon was even less willing to dwell on sciencey details than usual. "Tell me, Dr. McCoy… Is wrapping people in metal bars a mutant thing, or is this just some new kink Haruka and Michiru keep trying out?"

"Very funny, Sailor Moon," grumbled Uranus. Even with the only light afforded coming from the stars and a half-moon, Sailor Moon could see her exasperated face. Neptune's wasn't much different.

"Seriously, this is ruining the image I had of you two," said Sailor Moon, putting her hands on her hips. "That's three times some of the Inner Senshi needed to come bail you out. Keep it up, though. Soon, we'll finally be even."

"Fine, fine," hissed Neptune. "Can someone just get these bars off of us?"

Sailor Moon looked to her left and her right. Standing on either side were Naru and McCoy. Naru decided to come with her and Chibi-Moon, bounding clear across the city via rooftops, when Uranus sent out her call for help. She just wanted out of her house, saying her family's obvious unease was too much. Professor Xavier was evidently keeping an eye on her family, since they soon came across McCoy, heading toward their house in a similar fashion.

Sailor Moon shrugged her shoulders while shoving her open hands forward, staring at them with an impatient look. Getting the hint, McCoy and Naru stepped forward. Naru knelt down, making short work of Neptune's bindings. It took a little more effort on McCoy's part to free Uranus. The Outer Senshi slowly stood, flexing their muscles after being bound up for well over an hour.

"There. Now that you're free, care to explain just what possessed you to try breaking into Kizachi's building alone, when you knew damn well she'd have countermeasures ready?" demanded Chibi-Moon, folding her arms.

"Because sitting around on our butts while Kizachi's plans go forward was an even worse idea," said Uranus.

"Besides, we had reason to suspect Magneto was behind that monorail accident," added Neptune.

"Magneto? He made that train topple? Why?" demanded Naru, incredulous.

"To coax you into revealing your powers in public, why else?" said Uranus. "What better way to make recruitment more appealing than arranging events so plenty of people turn on you?"

"And did Magneto readily admit to this deed?" asked McCoy.

"He didn't take credit, but he didn't exactly deny it either," said Neptune. "Magneto being here in Tokyo is bad enough, but he's brought backup. The big bruiser Sabretooth and that shapeshifter Mystique were with him and Kizachi. Who knows how many more of the Brotherhood tagged along?"

"We were handling those two," Uranus said quickly. "But then Magneto blindsided us and changed everything."

Sailor Moon could see that yet another defeat at the hands of mutants weighed on Uranus and Neptune. And unlike before, these mutants truly were enemies of the Sailor Senshi. Magneto's arrival in Japan seemed like a small, yet horrifying, possibility when this mess first started. This changed everything. He was here in Tokyo, right now. He could strike again anytime, and he already made short work of two of the toughest Senshi.

 _Little wonder people can get so worked up over mutants,_ Sailor Moon admitted to herself. Her gaze drifted to Naru, who had an odd, anxious look on her face. What was on her mind right now? Something told Sailor Moon this was hitting home far harder than it should have.

"You two are right about one thing," said Sailor Moon. "There's no taking Magneto lightly. So I hope this means you two don't do something this stupid again!"

"Hey, don't yell at us," barked Neptune. "Storm tried to break in by herself, don't forget."

"While in constant telepathic contact with Nathan, with both Logan and Kitty acting as lookouts," McCoy pointed out. "And Ororo pulled back when it looked like there would be too little potential gain when faced with such uncertainty and risk. It was a coordinated effort, and they were willing to call it off, and opposed to charging in blindly without a clue as to what Erina Kizachi had up her sleeve."

"Now we have an idea, at least," said Uranus.

"That's for sure. Now we know Magneto's right here in the city," said Chibi-Moon. " _AND_ he knows who we all are, something we couldn't say about the Death Busters or the Dead Moon Circus. Which makes it even more important the two of you don't go riding off like a couple of goddamn cowboys yet again, especially when we've got friends who know how to fight him!"

The others were a bit stunned by the little girl's vehemence, even Sailor Moon. "Yeah, what she said," was all she could say, pointing at her future daughter.

"Yeah, they've done a bang-up job so far," growled Uranus. "I mean, if Cable's such a powerful telepath, how come he doesn't just rip the information we need right from Kizachi's swelled head!?"

"Nathan has already tried, naturally," said McCoy. "However, she seems to have some countermeasure against mutant telepathy. It was one reason the X-Men also suspected Kizachi was Eclipse for a time. Now we believe she's come up with some technological defense yet unknown to us."'

The mention of her Eclipse identity made Naru look uneasy once more, and she finally spoke up again. "Anyway, if you want, I'll gladly go pound some answers out of them. This Sabretooth guy doesn't sound too tough…"

"Magneto is another matter altogether, Ms. Osaka," said McCoy quickly. "As the professor said, you haven't been trained. The techniques the X-Men and Sailor Senshi have both perfected to utilize teamwork would be essential to bringing down Magneto."

"Besides, if Uranus and Neptune are right about Magneto wanting you, it's best you say far, far away from him," said Sailor Moon. "You should just…"

A sudden crackling noise, accompanied by the stench of ozone, silenced Sailor Moon. There was a bright flash of light, and when she looked to it, she saw Cable standing there, in full uniform.

"Where'd _HE_ come from!?" demanded Chibi-Moon.

"I call it a 'bodyslide', Chibiusa. Basically the same as teleportation," said Cable quickly.

"I thought we agreed with the feedback your techno-organic components suffered after Sailor Moon's attack, using that functionality would be less than prudent," said McCoy delicately. Sailor Moon looked anxiously at the ground. She didn't need reminders of how viciously their two teams fought before, not when the Sailor Senshi might need them against Magneto.

"A risk that has to be taken, Hank," said Cable, shoving a box in McCoy's arms. Sailor Moon could see that it was a medical kit. "Trouble at the jewelry store. It's Naru's mother. She needs help, now."

"What!? What's going on!?" demanded Naru. "No, wait… Just 'bodyslide' me back there with you, _NOW_!" Cable simply nodded, slinging his arms around Naru and McCoy's shoulders.

"I'm coming too!" cried Chibi-Moon. "Maybe I can turn Luna-P into something Dr. McCoy can use."

"Then come on, fellow partner in time," Cable quipped. Chibi-Moon just growled at him as she grabbed hold of his leg along with Luna-P. "I'll come back for the rest of you, especially since Haruka and Michiru's options for transportation are now more limited." With that, energy crackled around Cable, and the four of them vanished in a flash of light.

"What's that supposed to mean?" demanded Uranus.

Sailor Moon grimaced. "Well, after you sent out that S.O.S., Minako kind of… volunteered to go 'retrieve' the dirtbike you rode over to Kizachi Technologies." That's when Sailor Moon heard a sound she'd never expect to come from Sailor Uranus: a pitiful whimper.

Thankfully, Cable returned a moment later to 'bodyslide' the three of them into the OSA-P. It felt like she was getting sunburned, though the whole process wasn't quite as intense as using the Sailor Teleport. When the blinding light faded, Sailor Moon realized they were in the back rooms of the jewelry store, no doubt so the light didn't alert any cops outside. Cable motioned for the Senshi to follow him, but not upstairs or onto the showroom floor, but toward the kitchen.

When they walked in, that was when Sailor Moon saw Mayumi Osaka lying on the floor. Dr. McCoy already had equipment out, tending to her, while Sailor Mercury knelt beside them, furiously typing at her computer while scanning Mayumi. All the while, Naru was sobbing. Storm held her close, trying to comfort her, though of course she couldn't hold Naru in place if she wished to break free.

"What happened here!?" demanded Neptune. "I thought you X-Men were keeping an eye on this place!"

"It musta been while the place was empty, after she took a brick to the head," came Logan's voice. Neptune and Uranus turned to see that Logan was hanging back in the shadows. "Someone slipped some sort of toxin into their food." He pointed at the floor. That was when Sailor Moon saw a carton lying on it, its contents spilled. "I heard something funny going on soon after I relieved Kitty, so I busted in and saw this, then sounded the alarm."

Mercury ceased her scans, though her visor was still on, and was now actively assisting McCoy. _First she has to help her mother patch up Naru's, and now this!?_ Sailor Moon thought angrily. Whoever poisoned their food must've been trying to get to Naru, but hurt her mother instead! Humans hurting their own kind, because of their hatred for mutants!? When would this end!? "B-B-But you found out just in time, Logan! That means Ms. Osaka's gonna be just fine, right!?"

"I hope so, Sailor Moon," said Mercury. "My scans don't paint a pretty picture. Whatever was slipped into the juice carton is interacting with the medicines my mother gave her, exacerbating the effects."

"Then we've got to get her back to a hospital!" roared Naru, finally shoving Storm off of her. Storm grunted as she got slammed into a wall. "What you've got here isn't cutting it! We've got to…"

"I'm sorry, Naru, but… It's too late," said Mercury suddenly, sobbing. "She's gone into cardiac arrest, and… there's no hope of reviving her. She's… gone." McCoy grabbed Mayumi's limp wrist to feel for a pulse, and shook his head, confirming what Mercury said.

Sailor Moon couldn't believe what she was hearing. How could the hits keep coming for Naru like this!? And now the Sailor Senshi and the X-Men were working together! Between their two teams, they had to be able to do SOMETHING! ANYTHING!

"No, you're _LYING_! _NO_!" Naru shrieked, effortlessly shoving aside Mercury and McCoy. She cradled her mother's lifeless body in her arms, sobbing uncontrollably. Sailor Moon couldn't even begin to imagine what Naru was going through. Being stomped on like this so cruelly, continuously, all culminating into this!? What was there Sailor Moon could do now? What was there to say?

"Naru, please understand, if there was something we could do…" Uranus began.

"I did everything I could, Naru," said McCoy. "Y-Y-You were fortunate to have such a loving mother. I wish I could've…"

"Oh, _SAVE IT_!" Naru roared, shoving McCoy aside again, storming out toward the showroom, sobbing still. Despite having no clue what to do for her friend now, Sailor Moon didn't hesitate to follow.

"Naru, we'll find whoever did this, I promise you!" Sailor Moon called out after her. Naru had stopped in the middle of the showroom, shaking as she continued to sob. "Logan and Cable will be able to sniff them out."

"A fat lot of good that'll do my mom now," hissed Naru, her back turned to Sailor Moon. "They were all too late to act, just like you were!"

"Just like… What're you talking about Naru?" asked Sailor Moon anxiously.

" _NEPHRITE_!" roared Naru, rounding on her. "You Senshi were too late to do anything for him! And now both you _AND_ the X-Men were too late to do anything for my mother!"

"Naru, you make it sound like Sailor Moon intentionally held back, purposely didn't act fast enough," said Storm calmly, stopping beside Sailor Moon. "You two have known each other for a long time. Can you honestly believe that?"

"What am I supposed to think, then!?" demanded Naru angrily. "She's saved so many people, but the only ones she's failed so miserably were two people I was closest to!"

"Naru, I'm not trying to minimize your loss, but please…" Storm began.

Naru still wasn't having it. "She didn't care I was a mutant! How many mutant kids can say that about their mothers!? She was one of the few I could rely on, and now she's been taken away! And you people have no idea who did it!" As she ranted, Sailor Moon could see and hear dark power crackling all over Naru. Clearly, her oil slick wasn't the only power closely linked with her turbulent emotions.

More people walked out into the showroom, hoping to calm Naru down. Logan was actually bold enough to step toward her, without hesitation. "Well, it ain't Magneto, and it ain't Erina Kizachi," he said, sniffing. "But I don't care if it's some random asshole or some yakuza jackass or some Brotherhood dope we haven't seen yet. I'll be…"

"Oh just _SHUT UP_!" shrieked Naru, backhanding Logan hard. Hard enough to send him flying into a display case clear across the store. That was hardly the end of it. Tendrils of her oily sludge and bolts of black lightning shot out all across the store, smashing apart more cases and taking out chunks of the walls. All the while, Naru wailed in anger and sorrow as her powers raged out of control.

Uranus tackled Storm to the floor, just as a blast of dark energy sailed over them. Others weren't so lucky. One blast knocked Cable down before he could get a telekinetic barrier up, while tendrils splattered onto Neptune and Chibi-Moon, pinning them against a mangled display case. Sailor Moon peeked out from behind another, having no idea what to do. What _COULD_ she do? Use the power of Sailor Moon on her friend again? Naru already bore an ugly scar from the first time she unknowingly did so. The thought of resorting to that again…

Luckily, Sailor Mercury had a better option. McCoy covered her, shielding her from a writhing tendril as she shouted "Shabon Spray!" Blinding, icy fog engulfed the showroom, making Naru gag and sputter. More importantly, it weakened her oil slick, letting Neptune and Chibi-Moon slip free.

It also bought time for Cable to recover. As Naru whipped tendrils around to dispel the fog, Cable snuck up behind her and raised a hand. Suddenly, Naru stopped in her tracks, gagging and coughing as she clawed at her face. But no, her fingers weren't even touching her face! It took a moment for Sailor Moon to realize what Cable was doing. A telekinetic barrier right around Naru's head, cutting off her air. In her shock, she couldn't muster quite enough strength to punch her fingers through it. Eventually, after long, torturous moments, Naru sagged to her knees, then hit the floor. The dark energy abated, and her oil slick slowly receded into her body.

"Well, things just took a swell turn this evening," grumbled Cable as he telekinetically levitated Naru's unconscious form off the floor. "Osaka will be harder than ever to reach and reason with, and we've got another mystery on our hands that needs solving yesterday."

"Spoken like a true tactician," sputtered Chibi-Moon as she wiped what gunk remained off of her. "She's just lost her mother! Doesn't that matter to you!? To any of you!?"

"More than you'll ever know, darlin'," said Logan as he picked himself up. Thanks to that metal skeleton and healing power of his, no doubt he'd weather Naru's blow just fine. "We've taken hard hits before, lost some people. But we also gotta make sure this is the end of it. That no one else suffers because of whatever Magneto and Kizachi are stirrin' up."

"In any case, this will _DEFINITELY_ alert any police outside. And soon they'll realize Naru was here, thanks to the ooze," Uranus pointed out. "We'll have to discuss what comes next later, after we've cleared out."

"Since Cable apparently can't bodyslide everyone out at once, I'd suggest anyone who can fly or jump across rooftops do so. Now," added Neptune.

"I'll provide cover this time," said Storm, her eyes turning white. Sailor Moon looked outside, and saw that a thick fog had suddenly enveloped the street. Getting the hint, she walked over to Naru and let Cable drop her in her arms. She followed the other Senshi to the roof, while Storm and McCoy followed her. Cable and Logan stayed behind, possibly to find as many clues as they could before they had to flee. Hopefully they would find Mayumi Osaka's murderer soon. Sailor Moon glanced down at the unconscious girl in her arms as the Senshi and McCoy hopped from rooftop to rooftop. Why was all this happening to Naru? She wanted to reach her friend so badly, but one tragedy after another threatened to tear them apart, possibly forever.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Gai, you _UNMITIGATED FOOL!_ This could ruin _EVERYTHING!_ " Erina screeched. She darted across her hidden office in an eyeblink to grab her nephew's collar, slamming him against a shelf. He looked astonished that such a little woman had the strength to shove him around. Even more galling was how he just looked astonished period. All those years trying to look out for him as he got deeper and deeper into yakuza business, knowing he was pushing the limits of her patience. Tonight, Gai may have finally pushed her past that limit. "Mayumi Osaka wasn't supposed to die! You were supposed to slip a toxin in their food that would debilitate her. Make her daughter think random humans were behind it, but not _KILL_ her outright!"

"Hey, I can read labels and look at books to see what drugs do!" Gai protested, still too astonished to pry his aunt off. "What I slipped in that carton shouldn't have been enough to kill her!"

"On its own, no!" roared Erina. "But your choice of poison interacted with the medicine Sailor Mercury's mother gave Osaka! Any physician worth her salt would've prescribed something after a patient took a blow like that! Goddamnit, even the head injury itself could've caused your poison's affects to be amplified! You should've come to me once we learned Osaka required a hospital visit! We've been planning each step of this operation meticulously for over a year, Gai, and you chose _THE WORST POSSIBLE TIME_ to get sloppy! No wonder you got a finger chopped off, if this was the quality of your work with your old crowd!"

"How does this set us back, Aunt Erina?" asked Gai delicately. "Wolverine's never had a whiff of me, so he can't match my scent from their kitchen. And it's not like his buddy in the wheelchair can read your mind and figure out it was us."

Erina pulled away a little, eyeing the shelf she shoved Gai against. There, still writhing around in glass containers, where what remained of Telulu and Viluy, her one-time assailants. Better than eye-for-an-eye revenge. Just as they had been about to leave her for dead, so had the Sailor Senshi done with them, giving Erina a chance to collect what housed the last bits of their essence.

The monstrous plant that fused with Telulu right before detonation, the nanomachines that went rogue and devoured Viluy alive… Erina had put their work to good use. Now, in death, those two Death Busters served her. By reverse-engineering Viluy's nanomachines and combining them with Telulu's bio-engineered plant cells, she had a means of surreptitiously screening out telepathic intrusion. Not just for her and her nephew, but just about all of her staff, with them none the wiser.

"So yeah, in my old line of work, sometimes folks who don't need killing wind up dead anyway. Sad fact of life," Gai went on. "Anyway, I don't see what the big deal is. There's a difference between your flip-outs that involve your work, and the ones that involve something personal. This is more like the latter. Why? You hardly ever saw Mayumi Osaka. Besides, we've been spending nearly over a year conspiring to make her daughter's life a living hell. Looking like poison nearly killed her, poison actually killing her, what's the difference?"

"You _DAMN WELL_ know what the difference is!" Erina shrieked, spinning around and throwing Gai to the ground. "A mother who wouldn't forsake her mutant child… That's as much a rarity in Japan as it is in the rest of the world! This was sloppy work, Gai, and I _DO NOT TOLERATE_ sloppy work!"

"Nor do I, but in this case, for slightly different reasons," came a cold voice from the ladder. Erina had heard that voice many times without feeling a shiver of fear, unlike so many other _Homo sapiens_. This time, however, there was cause for concern. Gai was right in that Mayumi Osaka's death wouldn't disrupt _HER_ plans too much, but Lehnsherr's plans were another matter. "Making it look like some random _Homo sapien_ , acting on blind hatred, targeted her family was supposed to nudge young Osaka ever so closer into my fold. But now, there's no telling what direction the death of her mother may push her in."

Erina slowly turned to face Lehnsherr. He still had on the coat from either, and he wasn't alone. Erina bristled when she saw Mystique was with him, but otherwise succeeded in keeping her emotions – fear mixed with annoyance – in check. A minor miracle, given how her nephew had taxed her patience yet again.

"It's too soon to know how this will affect Naru Osaka's decisions," said Erina evenly. "If anything, this will drive a bigger rift between her and the Sailor Senshi than ever before…"

"Revenge against the Sailor Senshi is your aim, Kizachi," Mystique cut in. "I could certainly care less about your vendetta, and I suspect Magneto feels the same," she added dangerously with an evil smirk.

 _No, not the Senshi as a whole. Just Usagi Tsukino. Hurting the rest is simply an efficient means to further hurt her as well,_ Erina thought to herself. Out loud, she said, "But this also drives a wedge between Naru Osaka and the X-Men. In her eyes, they failed her mother as much as the Senshi did."

"Still, this is an extreme emotional shock to Osaka, which will make her decisions unpredictable," said Mystique.

"It is true that she's now far less likely to accept my old friend's offer," said Lehnsherr. "That's a small comfort, however, if she spurns our offer as well. So much relies on the people of Japan seeing Naru Osaka join us. A girl who had everything a human could want. A loving family, wealth, prestige, being admired by all around her. Only for that ideal life to fall apart upon discovering she's part of the next phase of evolution, and showing the rest of Japan's mutants there's only one path to choose."

"Which you know is the same thing I want, Lehnsherr," said Erina testily. Mystique shot her a dubious look, but Erina ignored her completely.

"And now, thanks to your nephew's incompetence, all that is in jeopardy," said Lehnsherr. "As you said, Mayumi Osaka had more sense about her than most other human women. I would have gladly made a place for her on Asteroid M. But now, her daughter has one less reason to join us."

"But still, a very good reason remains," said Erina, raising a finger to Lehnsherr's face. "Her mother wasn't the only human close to her, remember? There's still her boyfriend, Gerio Umino. With any luck, this unforeseen turn of events will goad her into taking action to safeguard the only human left in her life that matters."

"You didn't build your company and get this far by relying on luck," spat Mystique. "Naturally, we don't either."

"I'm simply saying all is not lost, Darkholme," Erina shot back. "Can either of you honestly see Naru going with the X-Men after seeing her mother die on Wolverine and McCoy's watch? And now, who else is there for her to turn to? You've already made the pitch to her, Darkholme. We'll all just have to be patient, wait and see if Naru bites."

"All good points, Kizachi," Lehnsherr relented. "It's true that you've manipulated events quite adroitly on your end. So we shall wait and see. And perhaps, like you've suggested, events have been steered down a certain path for so long, there may be no chance of a radical course change. Still, I'd be lying if I said this hasn't eroded my faith a little." With that, Lehnsherr cast a withering glance Gai's way. Erina could feel the chill going down her nephew's spine.

"Let me worry about making sure my nephew doesn't screw up anything else," said Erina dryly. "Trust me, I've had half a lifetime to practice that delicate art."

"But not perfect it, obviously," Mystique snarled. "Honestly, I don't see why we need to keep up this dog and pony show, Kizachi."

"Because the Sentinels that Masato Sanjoin wanted me to build without Beryl knowing may yet serve your boss's interests instead," said Erina.

"Delightful woman, from what I've heard of her," said Lehnsherr sarcastically. "And you've always said her hasty decisions when a minion failed her contributed to her ultimate downfall. So let's avoid doing anything hasty… Raven," Lehnsherr finished, glancing over at the shapeshifter. Mystique merely folded her arms, glaring at them.

Erina fought to not let out a sigh of relief. Lehnsherr still saw reason. That had never been a certainty, especially when she first sought out the Master of Magnetism. Erina had studied all the reports about the dreaded Magneto closely, but of course, being written by fellow humans terrified of what they didn't understand, their veracity was in doubt. Was the real Erik Lehnsherr even more unhinged and bloodthirsty than the newspapers made him out to be? Or could he be bargained with if you made an inviting enough offer, even if you were just another _Homo sapien_?

Fortunately for Erina, the truth was closer to the latter. Lehnsherr was far more complex than she could have ever imagined. Yet like anyone else, he would respond to a big enough incentive. Upon realizing they were on the same page in so many ways, Lehnsherr agreed to her offer, albeit with a good deal of skepticism.

But as time went on, Erina proved herself deserving of his trust, her nephew's screwup notwithstanding. Thus, Erina had the powerful ally she needed to counter the Sailor Senshi. Her Sentinels alone, masterpieces as they were, were no foolproof guarantee, as proven by that field test.

That would probably be crucial. No doubt the collective wrath of the X-Men and the Sailor Senshi would come down on her, and soon. But in a way, she welcomed it. Erina had no real plans for what came after their scheme finally reaching fruition. Her life already ended some time ago, not just the sham her marriage had become. So let those horribly naïve superheroes try to take her out, it didn't matter. All that mattered was that she would go out knowing she had done the impossible, something so many failed at: crushing Sailor Moon's heart beyond all repair.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Silence. Welcoming, comforting silence. It was what Naru let herself wallow in for over a day, after returning home to see her mother lying dead on the floor, the Sailor Senshi and X-Men too late to do anything. Not even a chance to say goodbye after that incident with the monorail. Having to lay low, move from one spot to the next, unable to risk going back to the OSA-P. These last few months, it was as if the world was determined to break her down until there was nothing left. And now, at last, Naru thought that moment had come.

She risked everything, exposing herself as a mutant, to save total strangers on that monorail. And put the fear of God into countless yakuza operatives before that. And what was her reward? Being turned into a pariah, left to bury her mother.

Why did this keep happening? So many times, after having her heart stomped on, things seemed to get better, the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, only to have it ripped out again. Nephrite died in her arms after protecting her, but then she found love again with Umino, only to have everything threatened again by rising anti-mutant hysteria. Both the X-Men and the Sailor Senshi backed off when they learned the truth, the former even making a generous offer to her and Umino, only for calamity to strike again and have the life she knew completely stolen away.

According to the X-Men and the Sailor Senshi, though, Magneto was responsible for the monorail accident. Ami even claimed she had proof. But it didn't matter. Something would have happened even without Magneto, outing her as a mutant. Naru knew she was delaying the inevitable this whole time. But to lose her mother, probably because of hateful humans trying to get at her!?

It was just too much. And now, at least for the time being, it caused Naru to completely shut down. The X-Men and the Sailor Senshi mostly kept their distance. Not angry with how she lashed out, but also unwilling to pry her out of her shell, which suited her fine. So she hardly said a word to any of them, and hardly ate a thing, despite the black hole for protein that was her stomach growling in protest.

So she sat in silence in Rei's room at her family's temple, clad once again in shorts, leggings and a black leotard. Her grandfather and Yuuichirou were about to go off on a days-long training retreat, essentially giving the Sailor Senshi and X-Men free reign of the shrine. They were blissfully unaware of the X-Men camping in their backyard, but did know about Naru. Rei's grandfather didn't care one bit, though. At least there was one other human who wasn't terrified of her. Even if it was just because he was always a sucker for any pretty face, regardless of what her DNA looked like.

Yuuichirou was a different story. "Rei, you sure it's a good idea to stay here alone with, well…" Naru could hear him say right outside the door. She clenched her fists in her lap. Even after all his time here, was he unaware how thin these walls were!?

"We're _**NOT**_ going through this again," said Rei defiantly. "Grandpa says she can stay, so that better be good enough for you. Now get going!" she finished, eager to be rid of him.

Naru heard Yuuichirou shuffle out of the shrine, only for someone else to walk in. A woman, evidently, judging by the clicking of heels. "Reluctant acceptance… I guess that'll have to suffice from him," Naru heard Michiru say.

"A pity Naru can't stay the whole time they're gone," said Rei. "We have to keep moving her, throw off the authorities. After finding her mother's dead body as the OSA-P, the police are stepping things up. They searched Usagi's place this morning, and it's a safe bet they'll move on to the homes of her friends."

"Haruka and I will take her next, then," said Michiru. "No one suspects our connection to Naru."

"In the meantime, we have to step things up ourselves," said Rei. "You and Haruka had the right idea. No more piddling around with Kizachi and her allies."

"Tell me about it. This whole mess is having repercussions on a global scale," said Michiru. Naru heard the ruffling of a newspaper. "Japan is being excoriated in the foreign press. The Daily Bugle had its entire editorial column stuffed with pieces chewing us for villainizing someone who saved total strangers, and letting her mother die in the aftermath. And when you've lost the editor with a vendetta against Spider-Man…"

"I guess Americans can't stand having a mirror thrown in their faces. The same thing happens over there," Rei pointed out. "We can't be too judgmental ourselves, though. Logan did say something about a lawyer over there trying to get clearance to practice internationally, so she can get Naru off. Jennifer Walker, or something like that…"

"Assuming Naru simply doesn't choose to go to Xavier's school with Umino," said Michiru. "Which reminds me, I need to know where he lives. He'll likely be the next target, of either Kizachi or vengeful yakuza members…"

Naru's eyes widened. She had been so consumed with grief over losing her mother, she hadn't considered anyone going after Umino. It was just… unthinkable. She had lost so much, but to lose the boy who loved her unconditionally, who would follow her anywhere!?

Naru waited patiently for the sound of Rei and Michiru's footsteps to die away. Once she was certain they were out of earshot, she fished out the communicator Mystique gave her.

For many long moments, she stared at it again. So what if Magneto purposely outed her? It just showed how she couldn't trust any normal humans besides Umino. Almost all of them saw her as their enemy. They turned on her despite saving some of their number, vandalized her mother's store and then _KILLED_ her! Now Umino was all she had left! And Rei was right about how this sort of thing happened in every country. She and Umino wouldn't be safe anywhere on Earth!

But on Asteroid M? That was a different story.

With tears in her eyes, Naru stood up and pressed the button.

"Naru, dear? Is that you?" came Mystique's voice, sounding scratchy thanks to the communicator. She asked that so sweetly. "I heard about your mother. My condolences. I assume this means you're considering our offer?"

"Does this offer still include getting Umino on Asteroid M, where no other _Homo sapiens_ can touch him?" Naru demanded.

"I'll let you lay down your conditions with Magneto himself, as promised," said Mystique.

"So Magneto's here in Tokyo, just like everyone's been saying?" asked Naru dubiously.

"And he's ready to meet you, Naru. Whatever conditions you want met before joining his cause, he's willing to listen," said Mystique.

Naru took a deep breath. If she did this, there was no going back. But what was there to go back to? She was already a wanted fugitive. More importantly, Umino was all she had left. The Sailor Senshi failed Nephrite, and now they _and_ the X-Men failed her mother. She had no choice but to ensure Umino's safety herself. "Then name the time and place," Naru said coldly, her mind made up. "I'll slip out sometime tonight, and… YAAAHHHH!"

Naru screamed upon seeing a hand shoot _RIGHT THROUGH HER CHEST_ , grabbing the communicator. It was still in her fingers when the hand pulled back, though, but now it was sparking and sputtering.

It took a moment for Naru's mind to register what just happened. She nervously turned around, seeing Kitty standing there, with a fierce look that made Naru's blood run cold. "I can't believe you were about to do that, Naru," Kitty spat icily. "The whole day I spent with you, trying to be your friend, getting to know you… I truly thought you'd be incapable of a decision like this! We all thought so! That's why we didn't do anything until just now, when the Blackbird picked up a weak comm signal!"

"Y-Y-You knew Mystique talked to me!?" Naru spluttered incredulously. "H-H-How!? No one can read my mind!"

"No one had to. Cable could peer into Mystique's, plus we have Logan's nose," Kitty said frostily. "We knew almost as soon as Raven approached you, but no one said anything. With everything Usagi said, with the time the X-Men spent with you… We refused to believe you'd ever consider joining a maniac like Magneto!"

"That was before my mother died on your watch!" Naru snarled. She threw a punch, but it sailed right through Kitty. Kitty folded her arms as more punches passed harmlessly through her. Naru tried one more time, only for Kitty to go solid again, duck under her swing, and hurl her over her shoulder. Naru collided with the far wall, but sprang back up, eyeing Kitty angrily as dark power crackled in her fists.

"Do I have to phase you into some solid walls like I did Makoto to get through your thick skull!?" Kitty spat, unimpressed. "Joining Magneto is a road to nowhere, Naru. I can't let you…"

"No, Kitty," came a commanding voice. The door to Rei's room slid open, revealing Ororo. Nathan, Logan, Rei, Michiru and Dr. McCoy were right behind her. The faces of the other mutants were unreadable, but Rei's betrayed heartbreak while Michiru simply looked disappointed. "This is not how we do things, and you know it. We have no right to demand anything of Naru, to make decisions for her. If Naru ultimately chooses to follow Magneto's path, we cannot stand in her way."

"You can't?" asked Naru, flummoxed. From what time she spent with the X-Men's leader, Naru would have expected Kitty's current antics from her. Fortunately that wasn't the case, because Storm was the one X-Man in Japan who could stop her cold, quite literally.

Kitty was still mutinous. "Come on, Ororo! This is _EXACTLY_ what Magneto's been working toward, working Naru up so she makes a horrible mistake!"

"Kitty, do not talk about Naru as if she's not even here," Ororo scolded. "She has been through a great deal. We cannot be so dismissive of her loss." Then she turned to Naru, her face softening a little. "But Naru, before you make your final choice, I ask only one thing of you…"

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After so many years, it invariably came back to this. A never-ending game of chess with his old friend Erik. Unable to reconcile their differences, always struggling to thwart the other, scrabbling for whatever pawns they could.

That harsh reality was a bitter pill Charles Xavier was forced to swallow time and again. Both of them were always scouring the globe for new recruits, both of them thinking they had the most to offer young mutants with emerging powers. Xavier was determined to provide a nurturing environment with his school where his students would feel accepted, not feared, while Erik sought to gear them up for a battle for survival. And at the end of the day, with training his most capable recruits in the Danger Room, Xavier's aims weren't too different from Magneto's.

Still, there were profound differences between himself and his old friend. Things he had to make Naru Osaka aware of before she chose what path to follow. Xavier desperately wished it wouldn't come to this. Yet like Ororo, he knew he had no right to force his will on the young mutant. Furthermore, Xavier couldn't, even if he wished to. For reasons that still eluded him, mutant telepathy had no effect on the girl. That made it doubly necessary to resort to this, as stomach-churning as it would be.

And not just for Naru. Shortly after Kitty stepped in to keep Naru from meeting up with Magneto, Usagi and Chibiusa, along with their cat Luna, arrived at the shrine to check up on her. They were crushed to discover Naru was willing to side with the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and the Acolytes. Now their heartache would be even more profound.

But most importantly, Naru would see what such a choice truly meant. Again, harsh reality. As a headmaster and a mentor to so many, it was Xavier's natural instinct to want to shield his young charges from its full weight. Right now, there was no escaping it, though it tore at his soul.

And now, Naru Osaka's.

"Hello nurse, we are the Acolytes. And we're here to slaughter flatscans," beamed a bizarre-looking mutant on surveillance footage taken from a hospital. A creature called the Kleinstocks, essentially the upper bodies of two huge men sharing the same pair of legs, fiery energy crackling in their fists. They were flanked by more mutants in matching uniforms, murder in their eyes.

And then, the preserved footage showed the carnage beginning. All throughout the hospital, patients and staff were mercilessly slaughtered in the most heinous ways imaginable. The hallways of the hospital sprayed with blood, the bodies of helpless patients flung about without remorse. The most vulnerable people, and those who dedicated their careers to their care, cut down without mercy. This was one reason the X-Men existed, to counter such mutants who harbored such hate, who would abuse their powers. Hopefully, Ororo's idea to show Naru the Acolytes' savagery would dissuade her from becoming one of them.

Right from the start, it was working. It wasn't long before tears were streaming down Naru's cheeks as she sat there in front of the Blackbird's terminal near the back. She looked on in shocked silence. The archived footage showed the Kleinstocks superheating the IV fluids of a frail old man in intensive care, heralding a slow, torturous death. A pitiful gasp escaped Naru's lips. Even now, years after this Acolyte attack, Xavier still found it hard to believe even they were capable of such butchery. Xavier silently prayed the day would never come when he'd be unaffected by such horror.

 _Fortunately, it appears our new friends will never have that problem,_ Xavier mused, turning to Usagi. Little surprise she was just as horrified as Naru, while this 'future daughter' of hers was ready to be sick. Rei's disgust was palpable, being someone who harbored deep, spiritual beliefs. Michiru also couldn't quite keep the horror out of her expression. She and her partner were supposedly the most hardened of the Sailor Senshi. Yet with the evil nature of the X-Men's enemies laid bare, not even she was unaffected. Even Luna, who lived through the destruction of the Moon Kingdom according to Ami's files, was taken aback.

The rest of his X-Men stood by to watch as well. For them, the signs were subtle, since they had all fought the Acolytes before. Yet their enmity toward Magneto's self-professed worshippers had not abated in the least.

As the footage neared its end, Naru's faced turned a sickly color. Her hand flew to her mouth. Getting the hint, Nathan used his telekinesis to levitate a plastic bucket over from the other side of the Blackbird.

"Thank you," Naru said weakly, taking the bucket and throwing up in it. After a moment, Naru picked her head back up to glance at the screen. The carnage continued. Now Senyaka was using his energized whips to burn and choke a nurse. "Ugh, glad I haven't eaten much, I think I'm good… Never mind, there's more!" After another bout of sicking up, Naru glanced up again, only to turn away in tears, unable to watch any more.

"Oh no, you don't get to just look away!" snapped Nathan, and suddenly Naru's gaze was locked with the screen again. Xavier could sense he was using telekinesis on her. "Did any of their victims get to just look away as the Acolytes slaughtered them all? I understand how much it hurts to lose your mother, but think of all the kids who lost loved ones that day. The animals you were about to join up with, they caused the same heartache you're going through!"

"That's quite enough, Nathan," said Xavier, softly but firmly. Making Naru watch this was traumatic enough, no point in berating her further. Better to simply let her see what consequences her decision would bring.

"He raises a valid point, Professor," said Ororo. "Naru, I was told you were considering a nursing career. Can you still say you'd want to join Magneto to protect Umino, if you'd be asked to take part in slaughter like this? I refuse to believe the girl Usagi told us so much about is capable of that."

"Besides darlin', you just saw what the lives of normal humans mean to these monsters," added Logan. "You really want them lookin' out for your boyfriend whenever you ain't on Asteroid M?"

At last, the screen blanked out. Naru could only stare blankly ahead, still in disbelief over what she just saw. "I-I-I-I… H-H-How could… I d-d-didn't know…"

"Naru, I've _LITERALLY_ had nightmares of you doing something like this," said Usagi. "Please, please, _PLEASE_ tell me this convinced you otherwise."

"Before you answer her, Naru, you need to see something else," Kitty cut in. She walked over and punched in a few commands, bringing up another round of archived footage. Lockheed was perched on her shoulder, shooting Naru a withering glare at point-blank range. "In case you're thinking Mystique's outfit is sufficiently less bloodthirsty, get a load of this."

Xavier caught some bristling irritation from Michiru upon hearing that name, which wasn't surprising. Michiru was surprised, however, by what appeared on the screen. "I recognize that, it's the United States Senate. And that man speaking… Robert Kelly, your country's own version of Kizachi's husband. Why…"

Michiru fell silent when the footage showed Mystique and her Brotherhood making their move, proudly declaring they were there to assassinate the senator. The X-Men, however, were there to stop them.

"Who's the fuzzy goblin guy, and the man with wings?" asked Rei.

"Nightcrawler and Angel," said Usagi. "Come on, Angel's one of the original X-Men! Seriously, how come I still know more about this than you do?"

"And that guy with Mystique…" Rei went on, ignoring Usagi's jab. "Ugh, I swear I'll never call you a fat-ass again, Usagi."

"Makoto was right to refrain from making any more bets," grumbled Luna.

Naru watched as the fight spilled out onto the streets of Washington, D.C., with Pyro using his blaze to box in troops and Avalanche nearly burying others alive. Eventually, the X-Men subdued most of them and saved Senator Kelly. "I don't get it," muttered Naru. "Sure, the flame guy and the earthquake guy almost killed a whole bunch, but… Ororo, you and Kitty and Logan stopped them. Why show me this?"

"You don't know the whole story," said Nathan. "The reason the X-Men showed was because they got a tipoff. From the future, and not from me."

" _WHAT_!? Then from who!?" Chibiusa demanded vehemently.

"From her," said Usagi, pointing at Kitty.

Kitty nodded. "More specifically, my future self's consciousness travelling back to take over her younger body. My fourteen-year-old self, seen in that footage."

"Travelling back… taking over your younger…" Chibiusa facepalmed hard. "Oh, if I ever see Plu again, she's got some explaining to do."

"The point is, Kitty's future self warned the X-Men that if the senator was assassinated, it would start a chain of events making anti-mutant paranoia rage out of control," said Hank.

"Which would lead to a revitalized Sentinel program, which would go off the rails and eventually lead to not only the near-extinction of mutantkind, but the decimation of all the other super-beings on Earth," said Kitty. She looked over to the Sailor Senshi. "And I do mean _ALL_ of them." Even Michiru looked a bit shaken by this revelation.

"But you averted that fate, didn't you?" asked Luna anxiously. "You saved Kelly, and that program hasn't come about."

"Not yet. But every time we get a whiff of a new batch o' Sentinels, we take it seriously," said Logan.

"Hence why you're all here," said Michiru.

"So, you're saying… Magneto and his teams… They'll send the whole world down that sort of path?" Naru asked, horrified.

"Which is why, painful as it is, we X-Men always stand ready to thwart my old friend. Even if the rest of humanity doesn't understand what it is we fight to prevent, we do it because we must," said Xavier, wheeling himself closer to Naru. "Naru, whether or not you enroll at my school… I cannot ask such a decision of you just yet, not with the loss you've suffered. But I hope I've impressed upon you what a mistake it would be to join Magneto."

"If this hasn't worked, Professor, I'll be glad to volunteer!" came an icy voice. Everyone turned to see a hologram flicker to life, not too far away from the terminal. Xavier sighed a little as he saw Emma Frost's hologram stare coldly at the still shaking Naru. "Just let it be known, Ms. Osaka, that were you currently enrolled and had me as your instructor, I wouldn't hesitate to drill some sense into you! And don't think this immunity to mutant telepathy matters one jot!" The Senshi watched in confusion as her hologram suddenly changed, Frost assuming her form of living diamond. "I have _OTHER_ means!"

Xavier couldn't help but notice Kitty flapping her hand as she mockingly mouthed Frost's words, much to Lockheed and Usagi's amusement. Would those two _EVER_ get along?

Thankfully, Naru wouldn't have to put up with Frost's disparagement much longer. Rogue and Peter stepped into the projector back at the mansion. "Thank you, Emma, for checkin' to see if the projector's still workin'," Rogue said sharply as she shoved Frost out of the way. "But I do believe Naru'll be a tad more receptive to what Peter and I gotta tell her."

Frost tried to butt in again. "Just hope you don't wind up in my class, Ms. Osaka! Because…" Frost was cut off when Rogue pushed her so hard, she crashed into the wall of the communications room, making the projection shake.

"Wow, and you thought Ms. Haruna was a hardcase, Usagi," muttered Luna.

"Rogue, Colossus… What's this all about?" asked Naru.

"You saw the archived footage, Naru. But you need to hear it from people who were actually _IN_ the Brotherhood and the Acolytes," said Peter.

"What!? You two!?" Michiru cried incredulously.

"Yes, Michiru. In my grief, I turned to the Acolytes for a time," said Peter, the sting of shame in his voice.

"What would've possessed you to do that!?" demanded Michiru. "The attack on that hospital… Why would you ever join _THEM_ , Peter!?"

"The same reason Naru is tempted," said Peter. "The loss of someone dear."

This seemed to grab Naru's attention. "Who was it?"

"My sister Illyana. She fell victim to the Legacy Virus, something Professor Xavier seemed powerless to stop," said Peter. "In my grief, I ran off with Magneto's group, feeling there was no place left for me on Earth. No doubt you wondered just why I could no longer paint for so long, Michiru. Now you know."

"Peter's long since learned what a big mistake that was," said Rogue. "Me? I've had to live with some dumb decisions a lot longer."

"So you were in the Brotherhood," said Michiru dryly.

"It was more than that, Michiru," said Rogue. "I hear you and Haruka had a run-in with my foster mother."

Michiru's eyes widened. "That shapeshifting psychopath… She _RAISED_ you!?"

"More or less," Rogue admitted. "I was part of her outfit for a good long while, up until that run-in with Carol Danvers. She's the one I permanently got a lot o' these powers from, plus a chunk of her psyche."

"Soon after that, Rogue came to me for help. And I made her an X-Man over the objections of most of the team," said Xavier. "Mentally, the ordeal left her a wreck, and I refused to go back on my vow to help a young mutant in need."

"It also scarred Danvers for life, and I've had to live with the guilt ever since," said Rogue, turning to Naru. "So I'm beggin' ya, Naru, don't go joinin' my mom. Gettin' mixed up in those outfits'll lead to things you'll regret forever, take it from me an' Pete."

As Naru fumbled for words, Michiru continued to stare at them in disbelief. "The kind of pain your powers led to, Rogue, and why you couldn't paint any more Peter… I never imagined."

"You had good reason to be suspicious of us, Michiru," said Peter. "We have read the files regarding Mistress 9, but now you know the two of us are hardly blameless."

"What's done is done," said Michiru firmly. "After our encounter with Magneto and his flunkies… Don't worry, Haruka and I know which mutants are truly our enemies."

"What about you, Ms. Osaka?" Xavier asked, turning his attention back to Naru. "You've heard pleas from two people who know firsthand what it means to work with these groups, and you've seen what they've done in the past. Can you still say joining them to protect Umino is worth the price?"

"Especially if the price may very well be your soul?" Rei added.

Naru looked to them, eyes still full of tears. At length, she buried her face in her arms to blot them away. "N-N-N-No… I-I-I-I can't do it. I could… n-n-n-never do all that…"

Xavier heard Usagi let out a huge sigh of relief, her hand over her heart. As elated as she was to hear Naru would never join Magneto's army, Xavier could sense her lingering hesitation to approach Naru. These events still caused a rift between them, one Usagi still desperately wanted to bridge, but didn't quite know how. Pain like this would take much time to heal, but he promised Usagi he would do what he could for Naru. It was his life's work, and he was as determined as ever to see it through to the end.

In Usagi's place, Ororo approached Naru to give her a shoulder to cry on. But soon, Ororo would have to return her attention to the task at hand. Logan was quite right about the need to squelch any new Sentinel program, and Magneto playing some unknown role in this mess made things even more pressing. On top of that, they owed Naru answers as to who killed her mother. They dissuaded Naru from making a terrible mistake, but Xavier knew his duty to aid this young, troubled mutant was far from over.

 _No, it's not just Naru I have an obligation too, but the Sailor Senshi as well,_ Xavier reminded himself. He turned his wheelchair around, sensing the eagerness of some of the Senshi to speak with him. Usagi cradled Luna in her arms, her tearful eyes pleading. Rei and Michiru, however, looked impatient.

"Well, your people certainly diffused that time bomb in a hurry, Xavier," said Michiru. "Now what about Kizachi, Magneto and those Sentinels?"

"Unfortunately, Ms. Kaioh, there may not be much we can do at the moment," said Xavier. "You and Haruka did succeed in penetrating deeper into Kizachi's facility. But from what you've told us, it confirms our earlier suspicions. The Sentinels, in all likelihood, are not being assembled there. Kizachi has a second site for their final assembly and deployment. I fear that even though the X-Men and Sailor Senshi could easily raze her corporate headquarters to the ground tonight, it would amount to nothing. Save increasing anti-mutant hysteria and turning your country against the Senshi."

"We've heard that before, but we still have to do something," said Rei. "Can't you just read Kizachi's mind, or the minds of her staff?"

"He's tried, but Kizachi's got some sort of defense against telepathy," Michiru grumbled.

 _At least Rei's gotten over her fear of my power, after our mishap,_ Xavier thought hopefully. _And Michiru's long since forgiven Rogue and Colossus. Our teams may yet mesh well together, but it's clearly imperative I find a means to focus our collective energies. And frustrations._ "Very true, Ms. Kaioh. Kizachi's taken great pains to keep her Sentinel program hidden until she feels the time is right. Her company is still the key, however. Perhaps Kitty can work with Ms. Mizuno again to break into her company's computer records. Additionally, Aino can redouble her efforts to track Kizachi's financial transactions while Logan continues investigating yakuza activity. Her Interpol connections could be crucial to untangling this complicated web she's woven."

Xavier didn't need his telepathy to sense Rei and Michiru's festering impatience, but they nodded anyway. Luna, however, wasn't so easily placated. "And what about Magneto and his outfit?"

"You must be patient, Luna," Xavier pleaded. "I know Erik. How he thinks, how he works. Much like some of the enemies you've fought, his schemes can't be foiled so quickly. I simply ask for your trust and continued assistance as the X-Men and I work to close in on him. When we're getting close, I promise you the Sailor Senshi will be there to fight him with us."

Usagi didn't look all too eager to fight the Master of Magnetism. Tears still streamed down her cheeks. "A-A-At least we won't have to fight Naru too," she spluttered. "I can't thank you enough, Professor. You kept her from turning bad…"

"We kept her from making the worst possible choice, for now. That is all," said Xavier, turning back to see Naru still crying, though Lockheed was lapping up her tears. "I fear, Ms. Tsukino, that Ms. Osaka's road to recovery will be long and hard. For all of us."

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Yep, the second series of footage the X-Men just showed Naru was the original comic book version of Days of Future Past, complete with Shadowcat being the time-traveler instead of Wolverine! Would you believe, though, that I never read that until I got the insert included with the Blu-ray for the movie version? However, what the first set of footage shown was taken from ( _X-Factor #92_ , a part of the Fatal Attractions storyline), I read back when I was a kid.

Speaking of the original comics, I _have_ been going through the original Sailor Moon manga. I'm up to the middle of the Black Moon arc. After hearing Prince Demande rant, one thought stuck in my head: Apocalypse _HAD_ to have egged them on!

So long,

Grey-X


	20. Total Eclipse of the Heart

Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 20: Total Eclipse of the Heart

12-27-2017

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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Haruka shuffled through the papers Minako just handed her as they all stood in her garage, Michiru looking over her shoulder. After taking a moment to skim over them, she looked up to Minako. "So these are all the assets Nephrite had during his stint as Masato Sanjoin. Shell companies, investments, bought-up real estate, everything," said Haruka. "I don't get it. Surely all this stuff was liquidated after his death, and aside from his stake in Kizachi Technologies, none of it had any real significance for the Dark Kingdom's machinations. Why is it relevant now?"

Minako sighed. She was sure Haruka would see the reasoning. It was easy to forget the Senshi of Wind was more about motion, about freedom, then stopping to ponder a mystery. Ami chimed in for her. "The possibility occurred to me when Naru erupted in rage, blaming us for Nephrite's death after all this time…"

"As the old saying goes, the best place to hide something is in plain sight," said Artemis, who was in Minako's arms.

"The Dark Kingdom's long gone, so we hardly gave anything they left behind a second thought. Well, of course, except for Naru now…" Minako shut her eyes, nearly tearing up. The horrible revelation that Eclipse was really Naru, that she harbored all that remained of their ancient enemy. And now, just like with the man who gave her that extra power, their friend suffered another terrible loss. One that almost goaded her into turning to the darkness. Thankfully, the X-Men stepped in and stopped that.

"But this whole mess started when Nephrite came to Kizachi," said Ami. "So perhaps the assembly site for the Sentinels he wanted is something that was connected to him. Kitty and I are still working on breaking into computer records at Kizachi Technologies, looking for any connection. We use that information when we get it, cross-reference it with Logan's monitoring of yakuza activity, Minako's inside information with Interpol and any odd deliveries coming out of Kizachi Technologies, and we find the Sentinels."

Michiru's expression brightened, and Haruka actually looked a bit hopeful. Still, pessimism tempered Haruka's hopes. "It's a good idea, but Kizachi's clever. She might figure we'd use Nephrite's assets to track her, and she's had time to find an alternate site by now."

"Still, it remains our best hope to find those monstrosities before they're unleashed," Michiru chided. "And speaking of yakuza activity and Logan, how is he doing on that front?"

"On the warpath ever since Naru's mother died," Artemis grumbled darkly.

"Makoto, Mamoru and I offered to help, but he said this was something best left to him," said Minako with an acid bite. "So much for the Sailor Senshi and the X-Men working together."

"Most likely, this is part of the X-Men's wish for the Senshi to emerge from this without tarnished reputations," said Michiru.

"Worrying about keeping our reputations squeaky-clean hasn't done Naru any favors, or brought us closer to smashing Kizachi's toys," spat Haruka. "I'm close to saying the Senshi just bring Kizachi Technologies crumbling down, consequences be damned."

"Actually, I'm with Xavier on this," said Michiru. "It would barely slow Kizachi down."

"Besides, this mess with Sentinels started with Nephrite, but a building getting brought down is probably what truly made Kizachi our enemy," added Ami.

Haruka glanced back over to Ami, befuddled. "I don't get it. What building? What are you talking about?"

"She told you two to go digging into her past, didn't she?" Minako handed Haruka another batch of papers. "Another gift from my Interpol buddies."

Haruka and Michiru skimmed through the new papers. "Police reports on the Juban Odyssey building. Taken over by… some tree that grew from within and mysteriously vanished?"

"When you two began nipping at the heels of the Death Busters, the Inner Senshi had their own extraterrestrial threat to take down," said Artemis.

"The Makai Tree," said Ami. "We neutralized the threat, but not before the entire condominium was hollowed out and decimated. Keep reading…"

The two Outer Senshi read on in silence for a moment, but then their expressions darkened. "This was where the Kizachi family used to live," said Haruka.

"And their daughter, Erika Kizachi, was killed in the incident," said Michiru.

"This is it. Here's the reason Kizachi loathes Sailor Moon," said Minako. "She must blame Usagi for her daughter's death."

"And now her quest for vengeance led to the death of another innocent," spat Haruka, the papers crumpling in her fist.

"Speaking of which, just… how is Naru?" Minako asked delicately.

"Still completely clammed up," said Michiru. "She's barely said a sentence to use since we shepherded her here."

"She had good reason to detest us, given our utter failure to keep everything from collapsing all around her," grumbled Haruka. "Hence my impatience. If we don't get Naru results soon, I fear keeping her from joining Magneto will have made little difference."

Minako didn't know what to say. Right then, or to Naru. She hadn't been there when Nephrite or her mother died. How could she tell Naru it would be alright when the hits just kept coming? Perhaps it was best to stick to this investigation, work to get results for Naru, like Haruka said. There was little else the Senshi could do, after she lost so much.

"She's hurting, but I still sense strength from her, and I'm not talking about being bench pressing a bus," said Michiru. "I'd like to think Naru will come out of this in better shape than, oh I don't know, your dirtbike." Michiru glanced over to the corner of the garage, where the mangled remains of Haruka's dirtbike lay.

It had been an awkward start, for sure, having to bring that wreck back. "Oh yeah, funny story about that," Minako said innocently, rubbing the back of her head as she shut her eyes. "You see, Artemis kind of came out of nowhere, chasing Lockheed, and…"

"Oh _DON'T_ blame this on me!" hissed Artemis in annoyance.

"Yes, Minako, don't," muttered Haruka, looking defeated. "Please, when it comes to the dirtbike, just don't _ANYTHING_."

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Naru kept the guest room dark on purpose, the lights off and the curtains closed, daylight barely seeping in. Right now, darkness suited her. After all, darkness was a permanent part of her arsenal. Every cell of her body able to harness its power, thanks to Nephrite. Naru thought she was over losing him, but realizing he transferred his power revealed just how raw that stab to her heart was. And now, losing her mother was like someone ripped her beating heart out.

 _And still, Wolverine has no idea who did this to her,_ Naru thought acidly as she sat back down on the bed. _Some gaijin he is. The X-Men are proving to be as disappointing as the Sailor Senshi!_ Losing faith in the Sailor Senshi had been a long, painful road. How could they keep saving the world over and over, but let the people she most cared about slip through their fingers? Even worse, they came after her when she took up the persona later dubbed Eclipse. The ones who failed Nephrite and her mother, they turned their power on her when she took matters into her own hands! Did the dirty jobs that seemed beneath them!

 _Completely ignoring those thugs that harassed my mother and then killed her, and so many others... Fighting for love and justice, HAH! Where were the Senshi when the people I loved really needed them!? When so many others needed them!?_ Naru thought to herself bitterly. _And not just that… What about all the other mutants here in Japan!? No doubt they're just as terrified as I was. And now Sentinels are being built, and the Senshi don't even know WHERE! Maybe_ **I** _should give it a shot! I was smart enough to track yakuza activity all these months, and I've got power of my own! Power none of them can match!_

Naru looked down at her arm. This morning, she changed into her fireproof, short-sleeved middle school uniform, which helped hide ooze seeping out of her torso. She let dark energy crackle down her arm. With the room dark already, bringing that power to the surface was oddly… illuminating.

Then she willed some oily ooze to flow down her arm. It coalesced into her open palm. Obeying her thoughts, she made her oil slick assume a variety of shapes. One of the tricks Umino urged her to practice in private, to improve precise control. First Naru made it take the shape of Tokyo Tower, then a grizzly bear, then the dirtbike that she heard Minako wrecked. Finally, on a whim, she had her ooze assume the shape of a rabbit.

A rabbit… The animal tied to her old friend Usagi, what her name more or less meant. The Rabbit of the Moon. Even without considering that, Naru suspected for some time who Usagi really was. Still, having the whole story behind Sailor Moon laid bare had been overwhelming. The conflict she and Nephrite were locked in actually started many millennia ago? Her friend was a reincarnated princess from a fallen kingdom, and was destined to lead the whole world to a prosperous future as its queen!?

At first, it was simply astonishment. The girl who could barely get her homework done on time was going to reign as queen? Now, though, the thought threatened to make Naru's blood boil.

Naru closed her fist, squelching the ooze-rabbit within it. For a moment, Naru watched the oily goo dribble through her fingers. Even now, after working so long to master this power, Naru had to admit it still looked disgusting. Her, turning out to be a mutant with noxious-looking powers, a brute, now distrusted and feared just for doing what she felt was right. Her old life, gone forever. All while Sailor Moon, the one who let her down twice in the worst way, still basked in the adoration of the Japanese, a paragon of beauty and grace. Well, sort of graceful…

It wasn't fair! Mystique had the right of it! Sailor Moon was still seen as a hero, while everyone in Japan was screaming for Naru's head, just for being born different! Usagi and her boyfriend would go on to become queen and king, their love to blossom forever? What about her? What about her future? What was so special about those two!? She found love again, too! What made the love between them any more special than what she and Umino had? Why was theirs destined to bloom into a beacon for the entire world, when there was no guarantee she and Umino would even make it out of this mess together?

Umino… Professor Xavier and Rei were right about one thing, at least. Joining the Acolytes wasn't the way to ensure Umino's safety. But if they were going to survive, if there was a chance for their love last the way Usagi and Mamoru's was destined to… If they were to become something more, to _ECLIPSE_ them…

Naru realized she had to do it herself. No X-Men. No Sailor Senshi. If all these tragedies proved anything, there was no one to rely on but herself.

Thanks to Nephrite, her body had command over the darkness.

Now, Naru welcomed that same darkness into her heart and soul.

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Haruka sat in front of the new television she had to buy, her anger still simmering, not sure what to make of their current situation. She and Michiru spent over a year investigating Death Buster activity, yet whenever they tried to replicate that same success alone, the two kept hitting a wall. How could the woman they had to _SAVE_ from two Death Busters be better at covering her tracks than them!? At least Minako and Ami made it sound like it was no longer a question of if they found the heart of Erina Kizachi' operation, but when.

But Erina Kizachi and her Sentinels were only part of the problem. Now Magneto and his hordes were in Japan. Haruka resented the idea of the Senshi needing any help with that, but after getting a taste of what Magneto's power could do, any doubt Usagi made a bad call was erased. The Sailor Senshi were getting clobbered from all sides, by threats they didn't fully understand. No wonder Usagi figured she should bring in people who did.

It still tore at Usagi, though, that the X-Men had no easy answers for what tormented her the most: the rising tide of anti-mutant hysteria. For so long, Haruka had been so laser-focused on stopping the Silence, what might happen after she and Michiru achieved that wasn't given much thought. Usagi was different, though. She could spare a thought for what came after, had such a big heart there was ample room for empathy for those in the world she fought to save, over and over again. And now that it looked as if Sailor Moon finally vanquished all her enemies, her country was coming apart, and she was powerless to stop it.

A fact made terribly clear by what was on the television. Kizachi's wretched husband was on again in some mid-morning news show. This time, Haruka kept any heavy objects out of arm's reach. Watching him closely might give extra insight into his wife's plans, but it was the other guest speaker that intrigued Haruka more. He was out of the country, but could still be shown on another screen.

"So the mighty Sunfire steps into it at last," said Michiru, walking into the living room. "If anything, he makes me glad that the Senshi don't need masks. He looks like a big, red and white bug."

"Who might put Seto Kizachi in his place, or at least make him slip up," said Haruka. "The X-Men speak highly of this guy. Perhaps Xavier put him up to this, told him how to bait him into telling more than he should…"

Seto Kizachi certainly didn't need any urging to run his mouth. "And don't forget the girl calling herself Eclipse is no isolated incident!" he bellowed at Sunfire's screen. "Reports of assaults by mutants have jumped exponentially in the last month alone. This is a growing problem, and by making excuses you are complicit. Perhaps it is expected that you're reluctant to rein in fellow mutants. Too bad the Sailor Senshi have no such excuse. They've gone from actively fighting mutant perpetrators to actually showing sympathy for criminal scum like Eclipse!"

Shiro Yoshida didn't hesitate to fire back. "So simply stating fact is 'making excuses'?" he demanded hotly. "Much of what you call 'reports of assaults' are simply children with little or no control over their emerging powers. And let's not forget the rising number of assaults perpetrated against mutant citizens who have committed no crime. At the end of the day, rhetoric like this only makes things worse. Go on, Councillor, keep telling other mutants in our nation that they're all essentially guilty until proven innocent. Show them it doesn't matter, that they'll be looked down upon no matter what they do."

"Such as assaulting citizens simply for being suspected of yakuza ties!? Taking the law into their own hands!?" Seto demanded. "Acting like a vigilante that hides in the night… I thought you detested that sort of thing, Yoshida."

"I do. But do forgive me for thinking that rescuing complete strangers on a monorail car, at the expense of her secret identity, shows there's more to Naru Osaka," spat Sunfire.

"Again, it seems you are going to great lengths to defend this girl," said Seto.

"Perhaps you're right. Perhaps she reminds me of myself. Now she's lost her mother, most likely because of poison meant for her, or someone wanting to punish her mother for the terrible crime of having a mutant child," Sunfire shot back testily. "And the way so many, including you, just brush that aside, is very dangerous. Again, go on. Tell all the mutants of our country that their families mean nothing as well, guilt by association. Create fertile soil for madmen like Magneto to plant seeds of chaos and destruction. And you best hope that Eclipse herself isn't listening. I eventually saw the error of my ways. Saw that I brought shame to my homeland in a mad quest to avenge my dead mother. Osaka may see things differently…"

The back and forth continued, with Seto Kizachi's comebacks becoming more and more provocative. Not really trying to win an argument, just bullying and prodding. "I wonder how brave he'd be if Shiro Yoshida was there in person?" Michiru grumbled.

"Still, Sunfire has him pinned," said Haruka. "Yoshida commands flame, but Seto's the one trying to throw embers on dry brush. Yet somehow, I don't think he's got an agenda of his own. He may not even be aware of what his wife is up to. Merely a puppet, and he can't even see his strings. If only we could figure out…"

Haruka was interrupted by the phone ringing. After muting the television, Haruka put the phone on speaker. "Is that you, Minako? Please tell me you've got something good already…"

The voice that replied was… quite unwelcome. "Ooooh, almost forgot about the other lovely lady I met in that arcade. How's she doin'?" came Gambit's quippy reply.

Haruka fought to keep her ire down. It wasn't exactly heartbreaking when Gambit returned to the United States. Thankfully, Michiru answered for her. "Do what do we owe this pleasure, Remy?"

"Thought I'd check in after windin' down from that tussle wit' Mojo in the Rockies. Dancing wit' Spiral… Six arms, all those swords, you'd have a ball tanglin' wit' her, Haruka dear." Haruka rolled her eyes, wishing the Cajun would get on with it. "Anyway, the Professor's brought me up to speed about what's been goin' down since I left. I hear Naru's stayin' at your place. How is she?"

"Completely shut herself off," said Haruka. "She said she's not joining Magneto, but that's small comfort when seeing her like this."

"We just gotta give her time, then," said Remy. "If there's nothin' to report there, well, let's talk about you."

"Oh, don't start that again!" snapped Haruka.

"C'mon Haruka, you think I'm gonna start talkin' dirty when Rogue's probably in earshot?" Remy asked delicately. "I was thinkin' more about how I hear you ran into a few of our 'friends' the other night. Namely, the big, smelly sucker…"

"You mean Sabretooth?" asked Michiru.

"That be him," said Remy. There was a subtle, yet undeniable, edge to Remy's voice now. "Bad enough the buckethead is there to lead 'em all personally, but that big ugly kitty… There's things you gotta know about him, things Logan may not wanna talk about…"

"Oh, I held my own against him just fine," spat Haruka dismissively. "What, were you going to insist that I let Wolverine handle him?"

"He's had the most experience with him, sure, but that's not what I be gettin' at," said Remy. "You held your own, for a while. But against a monster like Victor Creed, you gotta be prepared to go in for the kill, end it as soon as you can. Permanently. Because you best believe Creed always will be."

"I thought the X-Men were against killing," Michiru pointed out.

There was a long pause. "Sabretooth's… different. We X-Men only kill when absolutely necessary. When Creed's on the prowl, more often than not it'll be necessary. A throat shot wit' that sword, Haruka, will do a number. If you fight him again and you see an opening, I'm tellin' ya now to _TAKE IT_."

"Sounds like you've got a history with Creed along with Logan," said Haruka.

"That, unfortunately, I do," said Remy. Now there were subtle hints of… shame? "He's a constant reminder of… Well, just promise me that before he can do anythin' like that again in the Land of the Rising Sun, you'll be puttin' a stop to it."

This was a nice change of pace. An X-Man who didn't exactly disapprove of her and Michiru's tactics. Haruka was more interested in just what it was about Sabretooth that could get Gambit so worked up. Maybe the answer was in other files the X-Men shared with the Senshi. But before Haruka could press the issue, she noticed Naru had finally emerged from the guest room. "I'll get back to you on that, Remy," Haruka said hastily before pressing the button to hang up.

"Putting down dangerous mutants… Not as if the Sailor Senshi needed any encouragement for that before," said Naru coolly. She stood there in her old school uniform. On the outside, she still looked very much like the girl Usagi introduced them to over a year ago. But something was different now, something Haruka couldn't put her finger on. There was still sorrow over her mother's death, but it seemed somewhat masked by a subtle coolness in her stance, in her words…

"Oh Naru, it's good you've finally come out," said Michiru. Haruka could sense the care Michiru put in choosing her words. She also sensed something was terribly off. "Is there… anything we can do for you?"

"What I need… I don't need the Senshi for anything. Not anymore," said Naru dryly.

"Naru, what…" Michiru began.

"You're angry still, I get it. You have every right to be," said Haruka. "We're going to make it right."

"Yeah, everything's been looking up since the Sailor Senshi got on the case," spat Naru, glancing at the television. Seto Kizachi was still going on, despite Sunfire leaving the program. Even with it muted, the sheer vehemence of his vitriol bled through.

"Logan's been tearing through Japan's underworld ever since… you lost your mother, Naru," Michiru pleaded. "If anyone can get a whiff of her killer, quite literally, it's him. Once he does, we'll all pounce. We'll do whatever it takes to help you."

"The way you two 'helped' Hotaru Tomoe?" Naru demanded. Haruka could see Naru clench her fists. Likewise, Naru could sense how they were taken aback by the subtle accusation. "Yeah, don't forget, Usagi told me _EVERYTHING_."

 _Nice going, Odango,_ Haruka thought bitterly. "Naru, you have to understand, that was entirely different…"

"Was it?" Naru challenged. "You rushed in, convinced you had to kill a fellow Senshi for the greater good, before bothering to learn the whole story. No surprise you jumped as soon as you got a whiff of the Senshi's old enemy. Figuring out Eclipse was also a mutant didn't give the Senshi any pause, either."

"We learned from our mistake, Naru!" Michiru protested. "That was why we, well…"

"Made a chemical weapon, just for me?" Naru finished, fixing Michiru with an icy glare. "And if that failed, what was the next step!?"

Naru had Michiru pinned, so Haruka stepped back in. "Naru, please, we realize how badly we misjudged! We're trying to make it right!"

"Not hard enough!" roared Naru. "While you two were getting your asses handed to you by Magneto, my mother lay dying of poison probably meant for me! What good are either of you!?"

"Naru, what's gotten into you!?" demanded Michiru. "We thought the X-Men got through to you!"

"The X-Men just showed me Magneto can't be trusted," said Naru coldly. "But now I see I can't trust them either. Or any of you!" With that, Naru raised an outstretched hand and unleashed a blast of dark power. It was forceful enough to slam Michiru against the wall. This time, without the benefit of Sailor Neptune's endurance, she was out cold instantly.

"Michiru!" cried Haruka, fury swiftly overpowering her sorrow and shame. On instinct, Haruka grabbed a nearby chair and charged, smashing it over Naru's head. Predictably, it shattered to splinters, and Naru didn't even flinch. After shooting Haruka an amused look, her ooze flowed. The next thing Haruka knew, Naru had her ensnared in oily tendrils. She slammed Haruka up against the ceiling, then flung her at the entertainment center, almost knocking over the television. "Oh come on, we just replaced that!" Haruka protested, right before Naru flung her across the house. She sailed through the kitchen and crashed through the door to the garage, stopping only when she collided against her Ferrari.

"Ugh, note to self… Don't ever do that again without transforming first," Haruka muttered weakly. She tried to pick herself up, every muscle screaming in protest. Barely able to get on her knees and one hand, her transformation stick slid down her sleeve. Haruka was about to raise it, but suddenly, she felt it yanked away.

"Oh no you don't," she heard Naru sneer icily. Glancing over her shoulder, Haruka saw a tendril with her stick retracting toward Naru's hand. Naru stared at it for a moment, and Haruka could only guess what was going through the girl's head. No doubt it had to do with how she once wanted to be a Sailor Senshi. Seeing the cold contempt in Naru's eyes, Haruka knew those days were truly over. A horrible possibility came to Haruka… Was she strong enough to crush it? Thankfully, Naru didn't bother trying. She simply threw it toward the back of the garage. It embedded itself in the wall with a spray of paint chips.

Haruka stared at that spot in the wall, crawling toward it. She didn't get very far before Naru's foot sank into her gut, flipping her over. Haruka screamed, and screamed again when Naru reached down and grabbed her wrist so hard, she almost broke it, but settled for hearing Haruka's communicator watch get ground into powder. "Now that that's taken care of… Don't be getting all excited, Haruka." That was when Haruka felt Naru's hand reach into her pant pocket. She heard Naru pull out her car keys. "I still need to borrow some wheels. I'd use the dirtbike instead but, well, Minako…"

"Just add insult to injury, why don't you?" Haruka spat weakly, right before coughing up blood.

"Well, that and… this," said Naru. With an outstretched hand, Naru shot out globs of her ooze, pinning Haruka's hands and feet to the garage floor.

"Again with this, Naru?" demanded Haruka. "Why? We were willing to overlook all the other times you came after the Senshi, but this? People like Seto Kizachi want the world to think mutants like you are beyond redemption. You want to prove them right?"

"We're seen as pariahs no matter what we do," Naru said coldly as she stepped into the car. "Humans are determined to see us as monsters. Well, they'll get a monster now."

With that, Naru shut the door, just as the garage door slid up. The tires screeched as the Ferrari barreled out of the garage. "Oh c'mon, don't leave me with another wreck!" Haruka shrieked as she craned her head up, watching her Ferrari careen down the road and out of sight.

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Naru knew that with her array of powers, stealing a car wasn't necessary. Still, there were plenty of reasons for jacking Haruka's wheels. One last way to antagonize her and Michiru, for instance. After this was all done, she wouldn't have a chance to do that, with any of the Senshi. It would finally be time to leave them all behind.

Another was just for the thrill. It wasn't every day one got to drive a muscle car like a Ferrari, especially when you didn't even have a license. Plus, there was knowing what she was doing was a flagrant violation of the law. Granted, her antics with the yakuza broke a whole litany of laws, but she had no choice there. It was out of necessity. If she was doomed to be an outlaw now, might as well enjoy the freedom that offered, take whatever she wanted. Besides, it's not like laws protected her family, so what good were they to her?

Still, there was a practical reason. By using Haruka's car, no one would see her closing in on her first target. There were still a few hours of sunlight. If she had chosen to travel across Tokyo via the rooftops, Naru ran the risk of being spotted.

Of course, someone on the road could also recognize her. Naru figured that the jacket and baseball cap she found in the car would keep her disguised. So far, her trek into Tokyo had been uneventful. Naru let herself be lost in the music blasting from the car as she came to a stop at a red light. But when another car pulled up at her right, Naru heard someone cry out.

"Hey, since when does someone who can use oil spills like slung webs need such a sweet ride!?" Naru slowly turned to see a man a few years older than her, grinning broadly like an idiot, driving a fancy red sports car. That car… It reminded her of what Masato Sanjoin used to drive, though this guy was nowhere near as charming. "So where's the love and justice freak and the big, blue baboon!?" he went on. Naru did her best to ignore him. Idiot humans like this were small potatoes, not worth getting worked up over when she had plenty to do before sundown. Still, he wouldn't stop pestering her. "Hey, let's see what ya got when it turns green, baby," he said before revving his engine. Actually, that could be fun. Naru allowed herself a small smile as she let her arm hang out of the car…

When the light finally turned green, the guy tried to take off. The operative word being 'tried'. He soon found that his fancy ride would get him nowhere. Leaning out the passenger side window, he saw the tires on the left side were melted onto the asphalt thanks to dark energy. Oily goo was clogging up a good deal as well. He saw Naru giving him the finger before she drove off, still smiling. "Well, that was an amusing distraction," Naru told herself as she sped off. "But the real fun's about to begin. The park where Usagi's father has that company party shouldn't be too far now…"

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Even Usagi had to admit something was seriously wrong with her. Normally, this company picnic being thrown by the magazine her father worked for would be a perfect way to forget her troubles. Just stuff her face. It worked while undercover at Erina Kizachi's seminar. But now that she knew what ate away at Naru, and the stabs at her heart that she suffered since, Usagi found she had almost no appetite.

Usagi sat alone at a park tables, hardly noticing all the people around her. They all seemed to be having a good time, chatting among themselves, able to forget the troubles plaguing Tokyo for the time being. That sort of thing was to be expected, Usagi figured.

At least, it used to be. Japan's populace couldn't be expected to understand the full implications of what the Dark Kingdom was after, or what any of the Sailor Senshi's later enemies wanted. Things were a little different now. Mutants were something a little closer to home. Professor Xavier said that normal humans feared what they didn't understand. Well, the people of Japan seemed to be able to get on with their lives when Sailor Moon's old enemies were at large. Mutants were something people were more familiar with, yet fear over them was gripping Japan. Why? Why was it only mutants that seemed to spark this sort of fear?

Usagi caught snippets of gossip from the people around her, who paid the little blond girl no mind. Occasionally, it was something about Naru. Mostly astonishment at how such a sweet-looking girl could have gone on a yakuza-busting rampage, or they knew someone who owed Naru their life after that monorail disaster. Something that would spark a little hope for these people. But then there'd be some snide remark that it went to show that mutants were too dangerous. Usagi had to fight back tears. Too many people still couldn't see past their fear. Even her own father, the biggest X-Men fanboy in Japan, had been wary of Naru.

At least he was showing regret over that. "Usagi ,dear, are you sure you don't want anything?" Usagi heard him say. She looked up to see him standing beside the table, offering her a drink.

Usagi shook her head. "I just still can't stop thinking about… her," she said meekly. "I know why she couldn't stay, Papa, but I still feel I need to do something for her. I just don't know what."

Kenji frowned, at a loss for an answer himself. He clearly empathized with Naru, but there was only so much he could do. "I understand, Usagi. When I heard about what… happened with her mother, I finally realized you had the right of it," said Kenji. "I… still think I can do something positive, at least. Provided my editors don't butcher the pieces I'm whipping up on how shameful it is, what happened with Mayumi. And if you can get me that interview with Dr. McCoy before the next deadline…"

"There's something else, Papa," said Usagi. "You're an investigative reporter. Can you do some digging into… Kizachi Technologies and their founders?" Usagi didn't consider asking this of him before. Not when Erina Kizachi might expect something like this, and not when he couldn't possibly understand the risk. But the X-Men and Sailor Senshi were running out of time, Usagi could feel it.

Kenji shot her a quizzical look. "You mean Erina and Seto Kizachi? Well, given how that Councillor is… stirring up passions quite a bit, it could be worth a look. But his wife? Her tech company? I don't get it. Is this some tidbit Dr. McCoy and his friends shared with you?" Kenji asked hopefully. He had pumped Usagi hard these last few days, trying to squeeze every drop of information regarding their mutant visitors. It was hard to keep so much from him. Then again, she had kept the truth about Sailor Moon from her whole family all this time.

"Can we please try to forget about McCoy and his friends for a little while?" came Ikuko's protest suddenly. Usagi turned to see her mother approaching, holding her brother and Chibiusa's hands. "I just want to have one day where we don't have to worry about this… weirdness."

"I think Naru would like that too, Ikuko-mama," snapped Chibiusa. "But, you know, she's going through some things…"

 _Yeah, way to keep the peace, you pink-haired demon,_ Usagi fumed inwardly, seeing how Ikuko winced. Of course, Usagi knew she couldn't be too hard on her future daughter. She herself had unloaded on her mother days before. Why did there have to be so much tension in the family now? Normally, Sailor Senshi business didn't cause strife at home, just the bad test scores she had to show them.

"You're… right, Chibiusa. I… still can't believe Mayumi is gone," said Ikuko. There was no mistaking the sadness in her voice, the regret. "By the time I found out, Naru was gone. I wish I knew where she was, if only to apologize."

Usagi brightened a little. At least her mother was coming around. Now if only more people in Japan would. Just as hope was nearly rekindled within Usagi, circumstances threatened to squelch it once more. Usagi was still lost in her concern for Naru, so it took a moment for her to notice the commotion. At first, it was startled gasps and worried ramblings, but eventually Usagi turned to its source. Many of the people attending the company picnic were staring at something, the anxiety radiating off them palpable.

Then there was an angry outburst from some man. "Hey you little freakshow, what are you…" He was cut off when some force flung him across the park, screaming, only to splash down in the lake. Usagi gulped. She had a nasty feeling she knew who was crashing this party.

The crowd soon parted. That was when Usagi saw Naru approaching, wearing her customized short-sleeved uniform, oily ooze cascading down her bare arms. Not only that, occasionally there was a crackle of dark energy about Naru. Ooze partially covered her face, as it had when she ventured out as Eclipse. Naru made no effort to hide her powers anymore. Rather, she seemed to be flaunting them.

Naru's gaze soon locked with Usagi's. She turned to walk toward Usagi's family, never breaking stride. There was something else about Naru. All her self-doubt, all her anxiety over being a mutant, gone. It was as if Naru finally embraced who and what she was. But that icy gaze made Usagi feel a stab of dread, rather than relief for her friend.

Chibiusa pulled her hand free of Ikuko's as Naru stopped beside the park table, clearly getting the same bad vibes. Her grip tightened on Luna-P, wanting to be ready in case something happened. Naru paid the little girl no mind, and ignored the bemused stares of everyone else, her gaze focused solely on Usagi. "Hello Usagi," Naru said coolly. "Normally, I'd be a bit insulted that I wasn't invited to a party along with you. But given certain circumstances, I think I can at least forgive that…"

"Naru, what are you doing here?" Usagi hissed, standing up. "You need to keep a low profile, remember? What about Haruka and Michiru? Where are they?"

"Back at their house. They're in a… better condition than my mother was," Naru said, softly but icily. Usagi's blood ran cold. No, that couldn't mean what she feared it did. Naru had been genuinely horrified by that footage the X-Men showed her, what it meant to be a mutant turned evil! Wouldn't that keep her from going bad!? Or was her anger and heartbreak just too great?

"Naru, I'm… so sorry about what happened to Mayumi," said Ikuko, daring to take a step closer. "I still can't believe she's been taken from you."

"I can," said Naru. "After everything I've seen humans do these last few months, nothing about what your kind does can surprise me anymore."

"Naru, don't talk like that!" Usagi pleaded. "She's not like that! She doesn't hate you!"

"But she was certainly afraid of me, Usagi. Afraid of my kind. You told me what she said after seeing the X-Men and Sailor Senshi go at it on TV," said Naru. "She still doesn't trust me. No one in Japan does."

"Naru, what's gotten into you!?" demanded Chibiusa.

"Nothing. I've just had my eyes opened. Magneto showed me one thing, at least. There's just no way humanity will ever accept me," said Naru calmly and coolly, shrugging her shoulders. "I clean up the streets of yakuza thugs, I save a falling monorail car, and what do I get? A dead mother to bury, the authorities out for my head, everyone in Japan screaming for it to be put on a pike. Why wait for that lawyer from America, Usagi? Any trial I get would be a sham. I'm done pretending otherwise."

This was a living nightmare. Usagi thought she would be spared this anguish, seeing Naru lose all hope. But here was her old friend, embracing being a mutant in the absolute worst way. Giving up on humanity, her friends, on any desire to use her power to help people. And doing it in such a cool, collected fashion, without a hint of regret. "Naru, you can't mean that," Usagi pleaded softly. "And M-M-M-Magneto… You said you wouldn't join him!"

"And I won't," said Naru darkly. "I don't need him or his cronies, just like I don't need the X-Men. Protecting the people that fear and hate me? I've already tried that, and it's cost me plenty!"

"So it's true. The X-Men really did make you an offer," said Kenji.

"And Usagi will tell them for me that they can go pound sand," spat Naru. "After all, she knows your heroes personally, Mr. Tsukino. For a very good reason." Naru turned back to Usagi. "You kept it from me for far too long, Usagi. I think it's time you let your family know, too. Let everyone in Japan know…"

Naru took a step closer, prompting Ikuko to grab Shingo and hold him close. Naru let out an amused snort. "Oh, your mother wounds me, Usagi. Does she think I'm _THAT_ far gone, that I'd hurt an innocent child?" Usagi was about to breathe a sigh of relief, but then Naru said, "Grown men and women, however…"

Her ooze bubbled forth, forming tendrils that ensnared Kenji and Ikuko, pulling them toward her. Usagi was about to dart after them, but Naru forced her parents down onto their knees, a hand over both their heads.

"Dr. McCoy measured the crushing force of my bare hands, remember Usagi?" Naru taunted as her parents cried out in pain. "It's well above the maximum amount of pressure needed to crush a human skull. But controlling the amount of pressure… That's a tricky bit. Haven't quite mastered that aspect of my powers…" Someone in the crowd worked up the nerve to try to tackle Naru from behind. She swatted him away with an oily tendril, without even looking. "Well, today's not his day to be a hero, Usagi. What about you? You want to save your family? You know how do to it."

"Naru, you can't do this! W-W-W-What did we do to deserve this!? I-I-I-I was trying to make it up to you!" Ikuko cried out in between yelps of pain.

"Can you undo what your kind did, killing one of your own just because she gave birth to me?" spat Naru. "Don't kid yourself, you were as scared as all the other _Homo sapiens_. And even your husband, ever the X-Men fanboy, needed to be bribed to help me! You'll both thank me, though, once Usagi finally spills her secret."

"What secret!?" demanded Kenji. "Usagi, are you a mutant too!?"

"No way, Papa!" cried Shingo. "If she's a mutant, I would be too!"

"Sharp kid, your brother," said Naru, never taking her eyes off Usagi. "I still find it hard to believe he's related to you…"

"Enough, Naru," said Chibiusa stonily. "You're bluffing. We saw you lose your lunch after seeing what the Acolytes did in that hospital. There's no way you're so full of hate, you'd stoop to slaughter like that yourself."

Naru chuckled, shutting her eyes. "Again, what a smart kid. I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around the fact that she's actually your future daughter, Usagi. She must get it from her father."

"Chibiusa… Future daughter!?" demanded Ikuko. "What's going on!? W-W-What are you blathering about!?"

"Well, your granddaughter has me pinned about not stooping to murder…" But just as Usagi hoped that Chibiusa truly called a bluff, Naru let go of their heads and grabbed their arms instead. "I'll just settle for crushing a couple humerus bones so severely, the doctors in the emergency room will be forced to amputate!" she shrieked, hoisting her parents onto their feet. Usagi shuddered upon hearing them scream again. Her previous threat was a bluff, but Usagi wasn't so sure about this one. "Unless Usagi finally comes clean about what she's been hiding! Let's see how everyone in Japan reacts when they find she's far from normal herself!"

Usagi could feel the confused, expectant stares of everyone in the park upon her and Naru, but the cold, hurt look in Naru's eyes was still the most crushing of all. It was then Usagi was certain Naru wasn't bluffing. Everyone in Japan knew her secret now, and Naru was determined to see the scales balanced. Her life as she knew it was over, and she wanted Usagi to feel that same pain.

Kenji and Ikuko cried out in pain again as Naru squeezed their arms just a little tighter. There was no telling how much more pressure it would take to cause permanent damage. Naru smirked at her, knowing she had no choice. To delay now would risk her parents losing an arm. Usagi tried to tune out their screams, tears streaming out of eyes shut tightly. Unable to take it anymore, surrendering to the inevitable, Usagi raised a hand high and cried, "Moon Crisis Makeup!"

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Ikuko futilely tried to wrench free of Naru's grip, but it was like her arm was caught in a vise. She still couldn't quite believe Naru was doing this, that she had this much anger in her. Usagi tried to assure her that Naru nearly skewering her was an accident, that her fear of mutants was unfounded. It broke Ikuko's heart for Usagi to find out how wrong she was this way. At the moment, though, Ikuko would settle for coming out of this without a severed arm. But Naru seemed determined to coax her daughter to cough up her 'secret' by any means short of murder.

What could this secret be? If Usagi wasn't a mutant too, what could have Naru so obsessed with forcing her to show the whole world? As Ikuko kept struggling, trying to block out the crushing pain, tears streaming through eyes tightly shut, she heard a cry of "Moon Crisis Makeup!"

Ikuko's eyes snapped open. No, she couldn't have heard that right. That wasn't the secret. It _COULDN'T_ be that! Not her daughter, not _HER_!

But light that would've easily burned through her eyelids greeted Ikuko, enveloping the spot where her daughter stood. Then she heard the same words, only coming from Chibiusa's mouth, and there was another explosion of light. Ikuko stood there in Naru's grip, mesmerized. Could this really mean… She turned to Naru, who was completely ignoring her now, focused solely on the spectacle with an expectant look.

At last, the light faded, and there stood Sailor Moon in all her splendor, alongside the younger, pink-haired Senshi. It was impossible, but her eyes told a different story. Her own daughter, the girl who couldn't even get to school fast enough half the time, was Japan's protector!?

Everyone else at the outdoor party was dumbstruck as well, to find this ordinary girl had been a superhero all this time. But none more than Kenji and Shingo. "Oh man, how… My sister is _SAILOR MOON_!?" cried Shingo.

"Usagi, all this time… And you never told us!?" cried Kenji. Ikuko had no words. All this time, just wishing Usagi would grow up and show some responsibility. And now here she stood, her superhero identity laid bare. But at the moment, she didn't look all that heroic. Tears still streamed down her daughter's cheeks, her eyes still pleading with Naru.

"There, it's done!" cried Sailor Moon. The voice, the face, it was clear to Ikuko now. It was as if now that she knew who Sailor Moon really was, whatever magical gimmicks that disguised them no longer worked. "Now let them go, Naru!"

Naru shrugged her shoulders again, then shoved Ikuko and Kenji aside, no longer caring about them. Tumbling to the ground, Ikuko looked back up at the mutant girl. That look in her eyes… She wasn't done. There was more Naru wanted from Usagi. "What's this, Sailor Moon? No speech? No announcing you're the guardian of love and justice, that you're going to punish me?" Naru asked slyly. "I just threatened to rip your parents' arms off. Come on, after that, I think I at least deserve a little speech or something. Besides, give your adoring fans a show…"

"Naru, please, this is enough!" pleaded Sailor Moon. "You got what you wanted! Everyone knows! Just stop!"

"I… don't think so," said Naru. "Everyone needs to see this is for real, especially dear ol' Mom and Dad." Naru raised a hand, and to Ikuko's horror, a blast of what could only be called black lightning shot out. Usagi and Chibiusa ducked aside, and it struck the park table, sending splinters flying everywhere. Usagi landed on a park path, but Naru made a huge leap toward her. Usagi leaped aside, and when Naru landed, the concrete underneath was smashed apart. That black ooze seeped out again, forming tendrils that snatched up the chunks of concrete, hurling them at Usagi.

Usagi shrieked in panicky terror as she ran and ducked and jumped to avoid the barrage. It looked quite silly, but Sailor Moon's speed and deftness… No normal person would be able to move like that. "Oh no, it's true… She really _IS_ Sailor Moon," Ikuko muttered softly.

"Naru, stop! Someone in the park will get hurt!" Usagi pleaded as she ducked under the last concrete chunk.

Thankfully, it looked like most of the partygoers had retreated to a safe distance, but they all hung around to watch. As Ikuko took in all their astonished faces, wondering if they were as flabbergasted as her, she spotted Chibiusa. That weird toy she called Luna-P… She threw it onto the ground, let it bounce up, and in midair it exploded with a puff of pink smoke. No, not exploded, just changed form. Ikuko's eyes widened when a rocket-propelled grenade launcher dropped into Chibiusa's waiting arms!

Before Ikuko could yell for her to stop, Chibiusa fired. Unfortunately, Naru saw it coming, and snatched it up with a tendril. "Nice try, Chibi-Moon!" Naru roared before flinging the rocket back at Chibiusa. Chibiusa ducked aside, but was still caught in the blast. She was thrown back toward Ikuko, slamming into the tree behind her hard.

"Oh no, Chibiusa!" cried Ikuko as she darted to her side. Kenji and Shingo rushed over as well, astonishment still etched on their faces. As for Chibiusa, she was barely conscious. Ikuko felt for a pulse, and it felt surprisingly strong. Not to mention, it seemed no bones were broken. Taking that sort of abuse should've put the girl in the hospital for weeks! These two really _WERE_ Sailor Senshi! "W-W-W-Why… Why did you never tell us?" Ikuko asked softly, tears falling again.

A wail from her daughter made Ikuko look back. Naru had closed in, black lightning crackling around her, trying to lay haymakers on Usagi. Luckily, her daughter was still staying one step ahead. "Naru, come on, enough is enough!" Usagi cried out, ducking under another punch.

"It's enough when I say it's enough!" snarled Naru, twisting her hips to launch a kick into Sailor Moon's gut. Her daughter got the wind knocked out of her while getting knocked back several meters.

Ikuko wanted to rush over to her, but with Naru slowly advancing, a murderous look in her eyes, terror stopped her cold. Thankfully, Usagi was picking herself up, though she clutched her stomach. She gazed tearfully at Naru as she advanced, cracking her knuckles. But then, Ikuko saw Usagi's gaze drift to something just beyond Naru. Ikuko followed it, and saw that the moon was low in the sky, barely visible.

She looked back to Sailor Moon when she screamed, "Moon Twilight Flash!" A huge beam of reflected light shot out of her tiara, swallowing up Naru. It forced her back over a dozen meters, eliciting a scream from her. While she was dazed and distracted, Usagi got back up, rushing toward Naru. She jumped and yelled, "Sailor Moon Kick!" She planted her foot square between Naru's eyes while she was still off-balance, knocking her back against a tree. She slid down against the trunk, stuck in a sitting position. "Ow ow ow ow ow ow," grumbled Sailor Moon, hopping on her other foot for a moment. "Naru, I'm so sorry it has to be like this, but…" Usagi's hand went back to her tiara, taking it off. "Moon Tiara Action!" she shrieked as she threw it at Naru.

"Oh no, Usagi… Doesn't that…" Ikuko muttered in a whisper, fearing the worst. To her relief, instead of cleaving Naru in half, the tiara expanded into a ring that trapped her against the base of the tree.

"Enough, Naru. It's over. Even you can't break free of that," said Usagi as she walked toward the tree. She was doing her best to ignore all the stares, but Ikuko could tell they were getting to her. The disbelief as to who Sailor Moon really was. But how did she never see it before, her own mother? How could she see Sailor Moon on television all this time, and never suspect?

"Urgh," grumbled Naru. "Yeah, it's over. For you." Naru sat up, and to everyone's astonishment, uprooted the entire tree she was pinned against! Sailor Moon gasped in shock, right before Naru got on her knees and bent over to bring the tree crashing down onto her.

"USAGI!" shrieked Ikuko, just as Naru lifted the tree off of Sailor Moon. Amazingly, her daughter got right back on her feet, though dazed and in a haze of pain. But that gave Naru the opening she needed. She got back on her feet, then bent over again This time, Naru twisted her body so that the tree was swung at Usagi like a giant baseball bat! Naru swung the tree so hard, it snapped in half when it collided with Sailor Moon, sending her careening back Ikuko's way.

There were no words for the horror Ikuko felt as she, Kenji and Shingo knelt beside her daughter. Like Chibiusa, she barely clung to consciousness, and by some miracle, no bones appeared to be broken. Getting hit with a tree and surviving without a scratch… There was no getting around it now. Her, daughter, Usagi Tsukino, really was Sailor Moon.

She may have taken all that abuse and survived, but that could easily change. A loud snap make Ikuko look back up. The part of the tree Naru was still trapped against had broken apart. Now she was slowly approaching them, a triumphant look on her face as that black lightning crackled. Usagi's tiara had reverted to its original shape, and Naru was twirling it around her finger. With a self-satisfied grin, Naru flung it so it landed right in front of Ikuko. Terror gave way to anger. Ikuko scooped up her daughter, holding her close as she shot Naru a defiant look. Shingo and Kenji stood behind her, refusing to flee. "H-H-How could you!?" Ikuko spat. "After all the time you've known each other, after everything she did as Sailor Moon… _HOW!?_ "

"Balance," said Naru simply. "Usagi wanted to help me, know how I felt? Well, like Chibiusa said, I won't kill in cold blood. I won't make her feel the pain of losing family. But now, let's see how she deals with everyone knowing the truth." Ikuko glared up at Naru, holding Usagi tighter. "Oh, relax," said Naru, catching the gesture. "I'm done here. Now that everyone's seen how useless Sailor Moon really is, there's nothing left to prove. Worry about yourself, Tsukino."

Now Ikuko's glare was more dubious than enraged. "W-W-Worry about… W-W-What are…"

"My mother didn't care that I was a mutant. That I was… different," said Naru coolly. "Can you say the same? Let's see, now that you know the truth, if you're the same way. Considering your attitude towards mutants, I doubt it." Ikuko looked down to the girl in her arms, who seemed to be recovering already. But just as Naru said, things would never be the same, and that tore at Ikuko's heart, not knowing what this really meant for her family.

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Well, 2017 is about to come to a close, and this is as far as I was able to come, this pivotal midpoint. This was one of those scenes I had planned from the very beginning, and maybe it's good that the last chapter of this year delivers this sort of bombshell cliffhanger. After all this time planning, it feels good to get all this down in writing.

But what of 2018? Well, we're getting _**THREE**_ X-Men movies next year, while _Sailor Moon Crystal_ and the Viz redub are still chugging along with the fourth arcs for both. That's all worth looking forward to. But let's try not to think too hard about the X-Men rights going back to Marvel Studios and Disney.

As for this story, it's my fervent hope that it's all wrapped up by this time next year. If you've stuck around this long, it's also my hope that you've been entertained so far. I really hope I get some more constructive feedback from everyone, because again, I had this in the planning stages for over a decade. The idea came as I watched Sailor Moon for the first time in the mid-2000s, thanks to the uncut DVD collection, while also playing the two _X-Men Legends_ games. The idea just wouldn't go away. And here we are, halfway done at the end of 2017. Hopefully you've enjoyed the ride so far.

Happy 2018,

Grey-X


	21. Youth Gone Wild

Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 21: Youth Gone Wild

1-15-2018

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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It was a pounding like no other. Not just smashed by a tree swung by someone with the strength to chuck cars like volleyballs. No, the deed was done by someone Sailor Moon once considered a friend, confided in. Yet somehow, despite all that, Sailor Moon wasn't down and out, not completely. She stirred in Ikuko's arms, the haze of pain gradually fading, the miraculous durability and endurance of a Senshi once again proving hard to overcome.

Ikuko glanced down, seeing Sailor Moon slowly get her bearings, still not quite believing the revered superhero cradled in her arms was also her daughter. " _THAT'S_ what all this was about!?" shrieked Ikuko, glaring back up at Naru angrily. "You felt Usagi owed you something because of how you _CHOSE_ to do what you did with the monorail?"

"Plus what she _DIDN'T_ do," Naru retorted. "And a couple things she did." Naru lifted up her shirt, revealing the nasty scar Sailor Moon made with her tiara, eliciting a gasp from Ikuko.

"Too bad she didn't cleave you in half instead, freak!" yelled one of the bystanders. There were still too many around, transfixed by how all this was playing out. Naru glanced his way, but said nothing, then turned back to Sailor Moon's family.

"To think, Ikuko was sorry to see Usagi spending less time with you," spat Kenji. "Those other girls… Rei, Makoto… They're some of the other Senshi, aren't they!? To think, you had a chance to prove you're just as good as they are. You could've joined the X-Men, right? Instead, you turn on your friend!?" Naru glowered at Kenji, and took a step closer.

Tuxedo Kamen had seen enough. There was no mistaking the sense of danger from Usagi when she transformed this time, and he got to the park as fast as he could. Unfortunately, he was too late, arriving just when Naru bludgeoned his love with a tree. Partly because of shock, and partly because he wanted to see just what possessed Naru to do such a thing, Tuxedo Kamen held back, hiding in the tree right beside the Tsukinos. Though every fiber of his being urged him to rush down to Sailor Moon and Chibi-Moon. Now that Naru was making another move, it was time to act.

With a flick of his wrist, Tuxedo Kamen hurled a rose down at Naru. It tore a gash in her thigh, making her back off. He could have inflicted a deeper wound with a rose. However, the memory of how he almost did so, not knowing Naru was actually Eclipse, stayed his hand. Even after seeing what Naru just did, sensing the naked animosity in her voice, Tuxedo Kamen just couldn't do it.

Tuxedo Kamen leaped down from the branches, his cape fluttering, landing between the vengeful mutant and Usagi's family. "I've seen many unforgivable acts in my time, Naru Osaka. But to betray a friend's trust like this, to lash out with such anger… I do not wish to harm you further, but neither can I let you inflict any further harm!" Tuxedo Kamen bellowed.

For a moment, Naru just stared at him. Tuxedo Kamen watched for any telltale signs she would strike. He swore he saw the ooze along her neck and arms bubble and flow a little, making him clutch his cane tightly. Both Sailor Moon and Chibi-Moon were bought time to recover as the two stared each other down. Sailor Moon wriggled out of Ikuko's grip and stood, staring back at Naru with tears in her eyes. Naru averted her gaze for a moment, looking to where the rose ripped through her skirt. Black goo had already flowed in to seal the wound.

"Looks like we're both recovering nicely from this little run-in," grumbled Naru, looking back to them. "Makes sense. You two are guaranteed to have such a bright future, right?"

"What now, Naru?" demanded Ikuko. She rose and held Sailor Moon close again, as if she could do anything to shield her if Naru went on the offensive again. "What are you talking about? Bright future… Wait a minute." Tuxedo Kamen could feel Ikuko's eyes on his back. "You… you're this elusive boyfriend of hers, aren't you? And Chibiusa… she's _YOUR_ daughter, isn't she!? Just what did Naru mean by all this!?"

"Oh, I wish I could stay and watch you two try to explain all this to the family," jeered Naru. "But unlike you two, I have no guarantees about my future, no destiny. I need to go safeguard what I have left. Just like you've got some work to do, now that the world will learn the truth. Anyway…" Naru reached into her skirt pocket and tossed a set of car keys at Tuxedo Kamen's feet. "Make sure Haruka's car gets back to her, now that I've had my fun with it."

Naru turned to run, and just like him, Tuxedo Kamen could sense Sailor Moon didn't have the heart to try and stop her. "Naru, no! Just what did you do to Michiru and Haruka!? You've got to stop this, Naru!" she pleaded.

Naru glanced back over her shoulder with a cold glare. All she said before taking off was, "Call me Eclipse." Sailor Moon could only bawl as she turned and buried her face in Ikuko's shoulder. It was like Naru stabbed her through the heart with those parting words.

Tuxedo Kamen watched Naru make a huge leap, then use an oily tendril to latch onto the branches of a tall tree, swinging away. With a head start like that, they would have difficulty keeping up, especially with the beating Sailor Moon and Chibi-Moon just took.

Unfortunately, Naru left even bigger problems in her wake. Looking around, Tuxedo Kamen saw just how many people were gathered at this company picnic. And now all of them knew of Usagi's secret, saw her tackle Eclipse. Naru wanted the world to learn Sailor Moon's identity like they did hers. Now, she would surely get her wish. Plus, there came the torment of fessing up to Usagi's family after all this secrecy. That made him shudder a little. Her father didn't exactly approve of him, for one thing. Just how was he supposed to explain their past lives together, and their future in Crystal Tokyo?

Sighing, Tuxedo Kamen turned around, racking his brains for something to placate them. He expected a death glare from Kenji, certainly, since Naru obviously let it slip Chibiusa was their daughter. Instead, Kenji stared ahead blankly, not moving a muscle. Ikuko and Shingo were the same way.

"What in the…" Tuxedo Kamen began, but was rendered speechless as he took another look around the park. Everyone else he could see had that vacant look. "W-W-What's… Why's everyone like this?" he demanded of no one in particular. Sailor Moon snapped her fingers in front of Ikuko's face, but she didn't even blink or flinch.

"Cable. You're at it again," scoffed Chibi-Moon suddenly.

" _With a slight assist from me, Sailor Chibi-Moon,"_ barked a voice that resounded in Tuxedo Kamen's head. Sailor Moon and Chibi-Moon must've heard it too, judging by how startled they looked. It had to be Professor Xavier again. Chibi-Moon said Cable's power took control of the entire Amazoness Quartet. To do that with scores of people in this park required a far more powerful, experienced telepath.

"The professor and I still can't penetrate Naru's mind, but we can at least keep your secret from getting out like she wanted," came Cable's voice. The three of them turned to see the time-traveling mutant walk up to them, in full uniform, his bionic eye glowing fiercely. "You're lucky Gambit contacted us on a hunch. Some time after Haruka hung up on him suddenly, he asked us to check in on their house via telepathy. Michiru's out cold, but Haruka was conscious and filled us in."

"H-H-H-How bad are they hurt!?" cried Sailor Moon fearfully.

"Nothing they can't recover from in a day or two. No broken bones or anything like that," said Cable. "You can worry about it later, though. I've got to stick around here, purge everyone's memory so your secret identities stay secret. Which means you've got to help with chasing down Naru, and knock some sense into her."

"I tried that already," said Sailor Moon glumly, nursing her aching back. "I kinda got knocked around instead."

"What about the rest of the X-Men? Where are they?" asked Tuxedo Kamen.

" _They're scattered all over Tokyo, but we've sent the word out. We've also contacted the rest of the Sailor Senshi,"_ came Xavier's telepathic voice.

"In the meantime, you three better get after her. Keep track of her movements, so the rest of our teams can swiftly close in," said Cable.

It was a sensible plan, but upon turning to Sailor Moon, Tuxedo Kamen could sense her reluctance. And her disbelief, that it had come to this, what she dreaded for so long. But then she looked to her family, still in the paralyzing grip of Cable and Xavier's powers. "What about them, Cable? Did you mess with their memories?"

Cable glanced over to them, flummoxed. "No. Not yet."

"Then don't," said Sailor Moon, sighing and hanging her head. "And let go of their minds."

"What!? Sailor Moon, are you insane!?" cried Tuxedo Kamen. "Your family… You think they could handle the totality of what Sailor Moon is all about? The past, the future…"

Sailor Moon silenced him with a sorrowful look. "All this… It's partly because of keeping secrets. I kept it from Naru, even after she clearly figured out most of it. Look where that's gotten us, Mamoru.," she said, tearing up again. "If that's what keeping secrets from the people closest to me leads to, I'm done with it. I'm coming clean."

"Sailor Moon, you're absolutely sure about this?" asked Cable delicately.

"For once, Cable and I are on the same page," added Chibi-Moon. "Is this really the best idea?"

"Secrets have a price, Chibiusa, I realize that now," said Sailor Moon, still crying. "We can't pay that price again." Chibi-Moon still looked dubious, but nodded. Cable sighed, and then his bionic eye briefly flashed again. Suddenly, Sailor Moon's family blinked in surprise. Tuxedo Kamen steeled himself for what would no doubt be the most awkward run-in with Usagi's family yet.

"W-W-What just happened? W-W-Why does my head feel all fuzzy?" grumbled Ikuko, looking around. She gasped as she spotted the new arrival, as did Kenji and Shingo.

"Ahhh! That's the guy Sailor Moon was fighting on TV!" shrieked Shingo, pointing at Cable. "What's goin' on now!?"

"Nice to see you too, kiddo," Cable retorted. "You're welcome for releasing my telepathic grip on you three, and not futzing with your memories, on your sister's insistence."

"Our memories, Usagi didn't want…" Shingo turned to Sailor Moon. Clearly, he still couldn't quite accept that the superhero he admired so much was also his sister.

"Since when could you mess with minds anyway?" demanded Kenji.

"Usagi, just what is this all about?" demanded Ikuko. "Naru, the X-Men… You owe us some explanations!"

"Your daughter doesn't have the time for a heart-to-heart right now," barked Cable. "Naru's still running around like a madwoman, and she's got to be reined in before someone gets hurt or worse."

"I'm sorry, Mama, but Cable's right," said Sailor Moon. "We've got to go after her."

"B-B-But she nearly killed you!" Ikuko cried out in protest. "If she doesn't want anything more to do with you, Usagi, let her be!"

Sailor Moon shook her head, tears still flowing. "Mama, how many times have you told me I need to be more responsible?" she pleaded. "Well, being Sailor Moon _IS_ my responsibility, and I can't skimp out on it now." The words had their intended effect. Ikuko looked quite chastised, being forced to recognize the obvious.

"She's right, Ms. Tsukino," said Tuxedo Kamen. "There's more to this than just Usagi and Naru. There's good reason to believe events in Japan were manipulated so that Naru wound up doing something like this. There may well be a domino effect if we don't act swiftly."

"Is… this why you asked about Erina Kizachi, Usagi?" asked Kenji dubiously. He then turned to Tuxedo Kamen. "And all this about Chibiusa being Sailor Moon's daughter from the future… Can I assume you're responsible?" he added sourly. Tuxedo Kamen paled. As if his relationship with Usagi's family wasn't strained enough already.

"So, you're technically my niece?" Shingo asked Chibi-Moon in disbelief, having difficulty wrapping his head around the idea. Chibi-Moon just looked away, nonplussed.

"Look, I promise all of you that once this is over, I'll come clean about everything. But right now, we still have work to do," said Sailor Moon quickly. She bent down to grab the keys Naru threw on the ground. "Papa, there should be a Ferrari around here. Take it, get to Haruka Tenoh's place, help her and her friend. Please, if you want to do something to help, make sure they're OK."

Kenji stared at his daughter for a moment, then took the keys. "Haruka Tenoh, the racer… Is she another Senshi?"

"And Ami… She's another one, isn't she?" Shingo threw in, blushing. Sailor Moon sighed, seeing how quickly the dominoes were falling, now that Naru forced her hand.

"Look, Usagi just gave you her word she would explain everything later. In the meantime, all of you have something more useful to do than standing around in this park chatting. Besides, it's making purging everyone else's mind harder than it has to be," grumbled Cable.

Everyone just glared at Cable for a moment, but he ignored them. Turning back to his daughter, Kenji said, "You'll explain everything, then? The whole story?"

"So long as it doesn't wind up in your magazine tomorrow," said Tuxedo Kamen, earning him a glare from Kenji.

"Yes, Papa! Everything! I'm done with secrets!" cried Sailor Moon.

"Then let's have Ms. Tenoh's address," said Kenji with a tone of finality.

With that, the two groups finally parted, albeit awkwardly. As Usagi's family ran out of the park, she, Chibi-Moon and Tuxedo Kamen made a broad leap in the direction Naru took off in. Tuxedo Kamen had no idea what he now dreaded more. Confronting Naru again while she was venting all her pent-up rage, or how nothing would ever be the same with Usagi and her family.

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It didn't take long for Naru to reach the edge of the park, given how much ground she could swiftly cover. Still, it wasn't quick enough to avoid some bothersome pests. No doubt someone at the company picnic ran off to call the police. Just as Naru jumped over the stone fence lining the park's perimeter, several police cars screeched to a halt once she was spotted. Police officers clambered out of their cars, guns at the ready. Naru figured she should be flattered. Most were armed with assault rifles, and there were even some RPG launchers. They didn't hesitate to bring out the heavy artillery for Japan's most hated mutant. Not that it would do them much good.

"Bad enough none of the yakuza got the hint," Naru snarled at the police. "Then again, you jackholes turned a blind eye to them, so it's no surprise you're making the same dumb mistakes…"

"Surrender Eclipse, or we open fire!" one of the officers screeched through a megaphone.

Naru smirked evilly. She could easily spirit herself away and avoid a fight altogether. But no, best to show everyone in Japan why no one should ever screw with her again. "Me first!" she cried, raising a hand to fire off a bolt of black lightning. It struck the engine of the nearest police car, sending up a plume of flame. Before the officers could get over their shock, Naru sent out tendrils to wrap around the car and yank it towards her. It flipped over, and Naru's hands reached up to dig into its roof. The strobing lights flashed in her eyes for a moment, right before she threw it back at the police.

It slammed into another police car, both skidding across the pavement as shards of glass showered everywhere. This scattered the officers further, but it didn't keep them completely at bay. The ones Naru hadn't distracted and goaded into taking cover opened fire. Bullets bounced off her skin, but the impacts still stung. Reflexively, Naru crossed her arms in front of her face. That gave them an opening to fire off a grenade. Naru looked up in panic upon hearing the rocket's roar, realizing her blunder too late. She took it right in the face, and the detonation slammed her into the park's stone wall so hard, she nearly smashed through it. The grenade to the face left Naru dizzy, and humiliated. But that was all.

"OK, now I'm pissed. It'd be no surprise if I suddenly turned green…" Naru grumbled as she slowly sat up, brushing off chunks of concrete. Her ears rang, but she could still hear the footsteps of cops approaching warily. Best to pretend to be hurt far worse than she actually was, lull them into a false sense of security. It would probably be easy to let humans think they had the upper hand, play on their desperation. They drew nearer, guns at the ready, while Naru collected her power…

She let the ooze flow down onto the street. Before the cops knew it, tendrils snaked up around their legs, and then conducted her dark power. Many fell unconscious in an instant, but some weathered the onslaught. It was a simple matter to fling some away with her tendrils. The rest she dealt with up close and personal. She sprang up and effortlessly knocked them away. The last one she flung aside, Naru was sure she felt his arm snap from the force of her blow.

Unfortunately, that wasn't all of the police officers sent after her. Several had wisely hung back, using what cop cars remained for cover. Even from a distance, Naru could see the fear and the hate in their eyes, raising her ire even more. It was time to finish this, quickly and efficiently.

 _Now, how did Masato Sanjoin do it that one time?_ Naru asked herself as she crossed her arms again, collecting power. Granted, her dark power weren't exactly like Nephrite's. Perhaps Queen Metalia's gene for dark energy manipulation manifested itself differently for each person it was spliced into. In any case, her attack mimicked Nephrite's just fine. Upon spreading her arms, bolts of dark power arced up and rained down, pelting the rest of the police cars and forcing the officers to fall back.

"All those dangerous mutants you hear about on TV… I'm the worst one!" Naru taunted as they retreated. They weren't the only ones. Scores of bystanders had either been brave enough or stupid enough to stick around. Slowly but surely, they got the hint, turning to run as they screamed. Some cars were still coming down the road from the other direction, but screeched to a halt. A delivery van stopped right next to her, its driver clambering out to bolt.

"That's right! Run all you stupid, cowardly humans! Get it through your heads that you should _**NEVER MESS WITH ME AGAIN!**_ " Naru shrieked as she picked up the van. "You wanted my mother dead because of me! You're part of the reason she's gone!" She hurled the van across the street. Fleeing bystanders ducked out of the way just in time before the van smashed through the windows of a bookstore. For good measure, Naru cut loose with more blasts of black lightning, tearing up the street and bringing down telephone poles.

Naru had worked herself into a frenzy, but let the panicked screams of the fleeing humans soothe her. She had made her point. Good. The people of Japan wanted to see her as an enemy. Now they knew what it meant to have Eclipse as an enemy. She surveyed the damage she left in her wake, smiling. Until she looked down at herself and her ruined clothes. Her skin was bulletproof, but even these special clothes weren't.

Sighing and shaking her head, Naru looked up to building several stories high just across the street, then sent out a tendril. It anchored itself deep in its brick wall about halfway up. The tendril pulled her up as she retracted it, and Naru easily climbed the rest of the way, her fingers digging into the bricks. She had had her fun and blown off some steam, but the sun was setting. There was one last thing she had to do, before the X-Men and the rest of the Sailor Senshi could zero in on her.

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Sailor Moon realized she spent too much time trying to convince her family, back in the park. She, Chibi-Moon and Tuxedo Kamen jumped up onto the park's stone fence just as, to her horror, Naru cut loose with an attack almost exactly like one of Nephrite's. How could someone like Nephrite see the light, only for a good friend like Naru to slip into the darkness upon receiving his power? And Naru wasn't done venting her rage and frustration. Chucking a van for no reason, tearing apart the street with dark energy… She wasn't aware they caught up. Sailor Moon knew by blindsiding Naru with a single attack, she could end this insanity.

But she just couldn't. The sight of Naru completely losing it yet again, giving in to her darkest impulses… It just broke her heart all over again. Her first act as Sailor Moon was to save Naru. Now she had lost her friend in the worst imaginable way. When losing Chibiusa and Mamoru to the darkness, they had been brainwashed, manipulated. Sailor Moon could cling to hope that she could get them back. This was completely different. No such mind games could work on Naru. She was doing all of this of her own free will, making it clear she was done with Sailor Moon and all she stood for.

And then she was gone, using an oily tendril like a grappling hook. Sailor Moon could only watch as Naru scaled the wall and climbed over the roof's edge. No doubt Naru would be hopping from rooftop to rooftop to get to her next target. _And I was the one who taught Naru how to do that,_ Sailor Moon realized.

"Oh boy, I sure hope the rest of the Senshi and X-Men aren't too far away," Chibi-Moon muttered fearfully as she surveyed the destruction Naru left in her wake. "We could use the backup."

"Not to mention, Naru has too much of a head start," Tuxedo Kamen added. "By the time we reach the rooftops, she could be anywhere."

"No, not anywhere," said Sailor Moon.

"Meaning… what?" demanded Chibi-Moon.

"You heard Naru, Chibi-Moon," said Sailor Moon. "Naru's going after the only thing left in this world that she cares about…"

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To think, Ami once thought she could always look forward to school, despite how lonely her life before meeting Usagi was. But ever since awakening as a Sailor Senshi, it seemed that once every few weeks, a school would turn into a battleground. More often than not, the one Ami was at. Whether it was her middle school, or some cram school she was attending at night, one of their enemies would hatch a plot there that would suck in her and the other Senshi.

Or she would get word from the other Sailor Senshi that there was a monster somewhere else while she was at school, and had to ditch class to go fight it. Needless to say, Ami's perfect attendance record went out the window after becoming a superhero. But Ami put up with it, knowing it was her duty, however vexing it could be.

Still, even after fighting Mamoru and Chibiusa when they were brainwashed, Ami never imagined being told about Naru going on a rampage. Just when Ami thought she could start attending these college prep classes now that she was admitted to high school, figuring the problem with Eclipse was over, she roared back with a vengeance! Ami could practically sense the apprehension behind Xavier's words when they rang in her head. He couldn't believe his potential recruit had gone bonkers either!

So Ami ran through the hallways, deciding to duck into the locker room connected to the gym to transform. She was just about to, confident the locker room was empty, when her communicator watch beeped. Sighing, she flipped it on, hearing Sailor Moon's frantic voice babbling. "Usagi? If this is about Naru, Professor Xavier already let me know," said Ami. "Just tell me where to meet up, and…"

"No! Don't go anywhere!" came Sailor Moon's frantic cry. "Naru will be headed your way, toward that school!"

Ami mulled over her words dubiously, trying not to get flustered. "She's coming here? How can you be so certain, Usagi?"

"Didn't Xavier tell you anything?" demanded Sailor Moon acidly. "Naru didn't go completely bonkers for no reason. She's more jealous of the Sailor Senshi than ever, particularly about me and Mamoru and Crystal Tokyo. So now she's out to protect her own man to ensure a future, no matter what."

Ami blinked in surprise. "So… she's going to grab Umino and keep him close?"

"Exactly!" cried Sailor Moon. "He's going to that same college prep school, right? So transform and get to him! Do it fast… Naru probably knows you're at that school too. She may try taking you out first, since your power is so dangerous to her."

"Maybe you're not as stupid as I thought, Usagi!" came a jeering voice suddenly. Ami whirled around, only to be greeted by the sight of a blob of ooze coming right for her face. Her screams were muffled by the black goo as it latched onto her head. Ami's legs kicked futilely as she was hoisted off the ground, trying in vain to pry the glop loose. She was flung across the locker room soon after that, going through the curtains of a shower stall. The ooze continued to flow, pinning her wrists, ankles and torso to the tiled wall.

"What's wrong, Ami? Isn't water your element?" Naru jeered as she stepped into the stall.

"N-N-N-Naru, you've got to stop…" Ami muttered as her spine shrieked in agony. "W-W-Why did… H-H-H-How could you do this? The X-Men and the Senshi wanted to help you…"

"Yeah, that chemical cocktail you cooked up for me was a real help," spat Naru.

"Naru, I-I-I-I'm so, so s-s-s-sorry about that…" spluttered Ami.

"Oh, I bet you are now," said Naru as her fingers brushed against Ami's chin. Ami clenched her teeth upon feeling dark power crackling along Naru's fingertips.

"P-P-Please, Naru, j-j-j-just stop," pleaded Ami. "None of us ever wanted to hurt you like that. J-J-Just let us make it up to you…"

For a moment, it looked like her words actually reached Naru. Her gaze softened for a moment. "Well, since you're supposed to be the smartest Senshi…" Then she grabbed a handful of Ami's hair and leaned close. "Find a way to bring my mother back from the dead," she snarled, her breath washing over Ami. Then she bumped her forehead up against Ami's just hard enough to knock her out cold.

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Haruna Sakurada was soon reminded why she hated doing these extra stints in cram schools and other prep schools at night. Come sundown, her brain just wasn't firing on all cylinders when it came to teaching, something once made all too evident whenever she had to administer detention. And when it was Usagi Tsukino stuck in detention… Well, that only exacerbated the problem.

While Haruna continued calling roll, she let her thoughts drift back to the girl that once vexed her to no end. She would never see Tsukino in one of her classes again. Oddly, Haruna still wasn't sure how she felt about that. As much as Tsukino made her want to pull her hair out with her lackadaisical attitude and disinterest in learning a thing, Haruna had to admit teaching her had been quite a challenge. A challenge she somewhat succeeded at, given how Tsukino actually passed her entrance exams. Tsukino was off to high school now, no longer around to keep her on her toes.

 _Funny how you can miss someone as an enemy more than as a friend,_ Haruna thought to herself as she continued to take roll. She came up to Umino's name, getting only a surly grunt in reply. Haruna looked over to the far corner. Umino was just gazing out at the setting sun, barely showing any interest, showing up only because it was expected of him. And having to endure endless taunts and bullying about his 'mutie' girlfriend in the process. It didn't end well. For the bullies. There was more than one story floating around about bloodied noses and black eyes resulting from someone pushing Umino too far.

Haruna could only imagine was he was going through. The way he was acting at the monorail stop… Umino clearly _KNEW_ about Naru being Eclipse. If Naru could've trusted anyone with such a secret, it was Umino. Haruna hungered for someone who could love her like that, while Umino was constantly tested for his love and loyalty. Haruna cringed in shame as she finished taking roll. Even she couldn't keep her horror in check upon learning the truth. As much as all this anti-mutant paranoia disgusted her to no end, even she got swept up in the hysteria, letting the furor over Eclipse infect her.

 _If only there was a way to make up for that,_ Haruna mused as she moved to the blackboard, ready to begin her lesson. _But it's not like Umino would tell me, or anyone, where Naru is if he knows. I can't stand it… I stick up for mutant children that are complete strangers. But one of my old students winds up being one? I give in to hysteria like everyone else…_ "OK, for today's lesson, we're going to look at the play 'The Crucible' written by the American Arthur Miller," she told her class. Given everything that was happening, it seemed fitting.

But Haruna didn't get any farther into her lesson when there was an odd rumbling in the hallway, followed by the lights dimming for a split second. Panicked screams from the hallways came soon afterward. "Hold on a moment, class," said Haruna quickly, stepping out of the room.

A hallway stretched out right beyond her classroom's door, situated in the middle of a T-shaped intersection. Strolling down the hallway before Haruna was Naru. In contrast to how fearful she looked the other day, now there wasn't a trace of timidity in her. That black ooze dribbled down her arms and flowed up her neck, and some sort of black electricity crackled all over her. She marched forward, with the air of someone on a mission. Other teachers and students got the hint and stayed out of her way, flattening themselves against the wall or ducking into classrooms. Naru ignored them, her gaze focused on Haruna.

As she drew closer, Haruna saw what looked like scorchmarks on her face, and that her old school uniform looked to be covered in soot and even _**RIDDLED WITH BULLET HOLES**_. "Ms. Osaka, what's happened to you!?" cried Haruna, concern for her old student overshadowing everything else. "Are you alright?"

Naru shook her head, smirking at her, never breaking eye contact. "Never felt better, Ms. Haruna."

The next thing Haruna knew, she was flung back into her classroom, knocking the door off its hinges. Haruna groaned in agony as she slowly picked herself up. Naru shoved her so hard, she skidded across the floor and hit the wall beyond the door. By the time Haruna was on her hands and knees, Naru was standing in the middle of the room, glaring at her icily. "Ms. O-O-Osaka, w-w-why… I d-d-don't understand…"

Naru held a hand out, her palm facing up. Ooze shot up from it, a tendril wrapping around a light fixture right above Haruna. It snaked down, wrapping around her neck. Naru pulled down, and her tendril dragged Haruna up onto her feet, the tips of her pumps barely making contact with the floor. Her students looked on, frozen in horror as their teacher gagged and sputtered, struggling to take in enough air.

"Even you were afraid," Naru said simply as Haruna futilely clawed at the gunk fixed around her neck like a noose. "I thought one day I could trust you, that you really cared about mutants. But you were just like the other _Homo sapiens_ , letting fear blot out everything else. Well, now you've got good reason to be afraid." She said those words so coldly, but Haruna was a good enough educator to get a deeper sense behind the words her students spoke. The hurt behind them, the sense of betrayal. Tears that had nothing to do with her fear streamed down Haruna's cheeks.

"Naru, ENOUGH!" cried Umino. He stood and ran up to Naru. "W-W-What're you… Why are you here!?"

"To get you," Naru said simply.

Umino gave her a blank look. "Huh?"

"Look what happened to my mother," said Naru. "Everyone in Japan learns I'm a mutant. Less than a day later, she's dead. If humans will do that to their own kind for giving birth to a mutant, what do you think they'll do to you for aiming to stick your dick in one to make more!?"

Haruna found herself, for a moment, more appalled by Naru's crude language in her classroom than by how she was dangerously close to hanging her. Even now, her instincts as a teacher wouldn't let her be. Suddenly, one of her other students spoke up, a boy seated right next to where Umino stood. "Seriously Umino, you expect to hit that and survive?" That immediately earned him a left hook from Umino, knocking him to the floor. His instincts weren't easy to suppress at a time like this, either.

Naru looked at the boy, his nose bleeding profusely, then back to Umino. "I'm touched you still aim to defend my honor," said Naru sweetly. "Now let's just get out of here."

"B-B-But Naru, seriously? Don't you think this is a bit… drastic?" Umino protested.

"No. Not when this sort of thing happened before," said Naru darkly. Haruna had no idea what Naru meant by that, but something seemed to dawn on Umino. "You're all I have left Umino. I'm through counting on others to protect those close to me. I've got the power to do it myself, so I will. With a world full of people who'd hang you for daring to love a mutant… We've got no place in the world now, so we've got to stick together."

"Uhhh, speaking of 'hanging'…" Umino anxiously pointed over at Haruna, still dangling with her toes barely touching the floor.

Naru looked back over to Haruna. "Oh. Right then." Her ooze slurped back into wherever she kept it, and Haruna dropped to the floor, gagging and clutching her throat. "Anyway, we've got to go. Some of the Senshi and even the X-Men are on their way. You've got to choose, Umino. If you love me, if you want to stay safe, us to stay together… Who do you trust?"

Haruna looked back up to Umino, seeing the war raging within him. Eventually, as she expected, his loyalty to Naru won out, and he nodded stiffly to her. Naru pulled him close with one hand while raising the other toward the roof. A blast of that black lightning ripped through it, creating a hole for Naru to leap through, taking Umino with her. She left a classroom of fearful, confused students behind, along with a teacher who finally gave in to tears, not believing things had come to this. _Tsukino, where are you?_ Haruna wondered. _Your friend needs you, more than ever…_

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Having Professor Xavier's voice ringing in their heads without warning… That was always bad enough. Sailor Jupiter would never understand how the X-Men got used to that. But as before, it was the dire news Xavier brought that was far, far worse. Last time, it was word that the OSA-P was practically under siege. Not by monsters sent out by the Senshi's enemies, but the people they dedicated themselves to protecting. And just when Jupiter thought things couldn't get any worse, Naru's mother died, and now Naru couldn't bottle in her rage any longer. Rejecting Magneto made no difference in the end. Naru turned against them all regardless.

How often had an evening started like this? The setting sun was still visible on the horizon, albeit barely, casting a red glow over the city. The Sailor Senshi, once again, were called to action as darkness fell. Only it wasn't some monster out to drain people's vitality, or rob them of their pure hearts and dreams. No, it was a good friend who let her bitterness and grief eat away at her soul. That would make this far harder than any smackdown on some monster. It just might be their most painful battle yet.

Sailor Jupiter made another leap, sailing across a street that stretched out several dozen meters below. She glanced over her shoulder after touching down on the next roof. Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus were just leaping across. The three of them were the only Senshi who could intercept Naru now. Naru had too much of a head start over Sailor Moon, Tuxedo Kamen and Chibi-Moon, Haruka and Michiru were in no condition to fight, and they couldn't raise Ami on her communicator.

"How much farther to that prep school?" Venus asked as the three of them ran across the rooftop.

"It shouldn't be too much longer," said Mars. Usually, Mars put up this veneer of brusqueness, but Jupiter could detect the disbelief and sorrow underlying her words. None of them could believe it came to this yet again. "In fact, once we reach the other end of this roof, we should be able to see it."

Once they reached the roof's edge, Jupiter did indeed see the school Ami just started attending at night. Only to see a blast of dark power shoot through the roof. A second later, they could see Naru leap up through the hole, clinging to someone. "Oh no, Naru's already got Umino!" cried Jupiter.

"What about Ami?" asked Venus fearfully. "You don't suppose…"

"Naru didn't kill Usagi, so let's assume she's not that far gone yet," said Mars. "But we've got to put a stop to this. Everyone remember the plan?"

Jupiter and Venus nodded dully. It was a sensible plan, one that would probably safely rein in Naru, but that didn't make the three of them hate it any less.

And so, the tree of them made a leap toward the school's roof, hot on Naru's tail. Usagi may have shown Naru how the Sailor Senshi get around, but they had more experience doing this. Before Naru could make it to the edge of the school's roof to make the jump herself, dragging Umino by the hand, Venus caught up with her. "Venus Love-Me Chain!" she shouted. Her golden chain lashed out and ensnared Umino. With a yank, Venus tore him from Naru's grip, and he was flung her way.

"What in…" Naru began, turning around. "YOU!?" she snarled.

Just as Venus caught Umino in her arms, Mars stepped up. "Mars Flame Sniper!" she roared, taking advantage of Naru's momentary surprise. The blazing arrow struck Naru in the torso, and she nearly tumbled backwards to the street below. It was fortunate that she didn't. She could survive the fall, but it was best to keep Naru up here, where no bystanders could get caught in the crossfire.

The flames soon faded, and Naru glared daggers at them all. She circled around the roof, and the Senshi could tell she was gathering power to strike. "Don't… _INTERFERE!_ " she shrieked, sending out black lightning.

That was when Jupiter stepped in, her antenna already out. "Supreme Thunder!" she roared, calling forth her own lightning bolt. The two bolts crashed against one another noisily. For a moment, it looked like their power was evenly matched. But then, Jupiter's lightning bolt edged closer. Soon enough, it forced back Naru's dark power entirely, zapping her good and sending her backslide slamming into the pillar of a water tower. She struck it so hard, Jupiter feared the water tower would topple down onto her. Not that it would really hurt her.

Still, the blast of electricity did plenty. Naru was on her hands and knees, coughing and shivering, clearly flabbergasted that her power failed her. The three Senshi stood a few meters away, reluctant to strike while Naru was down. "Please just give it up, Naru. You're not as tough as you think," said Venus.

"Yeah, a Senshi's power comes from her Star Seed, from an entire planet," said Mars. "Mutant powers are dependent on your body's physical maturity. That's why the Shitennou had more raw power than you do now."

Rather than convincing her to stand down, that only served to incense Naru further. "So, just another reminder of how I could never be one of you," Naru spat as she rose to her feet, fists clenched. "Rub it in, why don't you?"

"Is that part of this, too? Jealousy?" asked Jupiter delicately. "Hey, don't forget, there are things you can do that we can't…"

"Damn straight!" sneered Naru as she made her move. Tendrils reached up and wrapped around the water tower. It wasn't long before the support beams shrieked in protest, and the whole thing came toppling down onto the Senshi.

"Look out!" cried Venus as the three of them leaped aside. The water tower cracked open, water washing over half the roof. Jupiter just hoped Venus got Umino someplace safe, away from the fighting.

Venus and Mars fell back, probably to see to Umino. It was all part of the plan. Naru no doubt thought Jupiter was the only danger, given her vulnerability to electricity and how Jupiter was the only Senshi left that came remotely close to matching her strength. Best to play on that. Draw Naru's attention away from where the true danger lay.

Naru rushed across the roof, hurling a huge chunk of the mangled water tower at Jupiter. Jupiter easily ducked aside as she readied another attack. "Sparkling Wide Pressure!" she screamed, hurling the collected energy Naru's way. Naru barely hit the deck in time. Good to know the Senshi still held the speed advantage as well. Jupiter would need it.

Naru leaped toward Jupiter, aiming to stomp her into the school's roof, but she simply backflipped out of the way. "Naru, you've got to stop! Attempted kidnapping, stealing a car, assault and battery on police officers… That lawyer might've gotten you off before, but not now!"

"Would she really have been any good? None of you Senshi were! My mother's dead, along with Nephrite!" Naru cried as she closed in. "No way I'm entrusting Umino's life to the likes of you ever again!" She made some clumsy swings at Jupiter. It was a simple matter to duck and weave around her strikes. A good thing, too, as any one of them could take most of the fight out of her. Even more, given her training, it was child's play for Jupiter to grapple Naru as she threw another punch, and throw her to the ground hard.

Jupiter jumped back as Naru immediately struck back, trying to sweep her legs and snap them in the process. "We're all heartbroken after what happened to Mayumi, Naru!" cried Jupiter. "But if your mother could see you now, _SHE'D_ be heartbroken! Her last words to me before she died… She was _PROUD_ of how you saved those people on the monorail! She was _HOPING_ you would join the X-Men!"

"And then she died on the X-Men's watch. And yours! To think I wanted to be a Senshi once!" In a blind rage, Naru tried lashing out with tendrils. Jupiter easily dodged them, and kept her antenna out, crackling with power. The sight of that soon dissuaded Naru from trying that any more. She had a wary look in her eyes now, despite all her rage. Just like Jupiter wanted. Distract Naru, confuse her, keep her attention focused solely on her.

"Naru, you think you're the only one who's lost family?" Jupiter dared. "I lost my parents, too! And I know what it's like to be ostracized for being different! I so wanted to help you get through this! All the Senshi did! You may not be a reincarnated princess like the rest of us, but another opportunity's opened up for you! The X-Men! What better way to honor your mother's final wish than to keep doing good as part of that team!? Keep this up, and that door will be shut forever!"

For a moment, it looked like Jupiter's word reached Naru. There was a hesitant look in her eyes, and she seemed to tremble. Then she shut them, tears beginning to flow. But yet again, her rage and frustration proved too great. "Fine by me! I don't need their help! I don't need _ **ANYONE'S**_ help, now that I've got this power!" she spat back.

Naru aimed to keep Jupiter at bay with more bolts of dark power, maintaining her distance. Once again, Jupiter easily ducked and weaved around the barrage, then followed up with an attack of her own. "Jupiter Oak Evolution!" she cried as she spun around, sending out her electrified leaves.

A good number clipped Naru, disorienting her. That gave the other Senshi, who held back until now, the perfect opening. "Venus Love and Beauty Shock!" came Venus's cry, and her energized ball struck Naru in the back while she was dazed, forcing her down onto her hands and knees. That was when Mars finally made her move. She darted out from behind a cooling tower, where Jupiter could also see Umino's head sticking out. Mars jumped up, flipping over while in midair, planting an ofuda on Naru's back as she sailed over her.

Naru let out a confused shriek as she collapsed onto the roof. The three Senshi gathered around their downed foe, still not quite believing it had come to this. Or that Mars's ofuda would actually be this effective. "Naru, for my ofuda to hurt you this much… Merely being in possession of dark power shouldn't be enough. It's because you've truly let your heart turn dark. How can you say you care about your mother's memory if you've let that darkness in? You heard Jupiter. Mayumi hoped you'd choose a different path…"

Naru gargled something unintelligible as she tried to prop herself up with her arms, shaking all over. Then, in one swift motion, Naru slammed her hand down onto the roof, making it quake. The Senshi lost their footing for a moment, giving Naru an opening to force them back with swipes of her tendrils.

 _Oh great, we miscalculated big time,_ Jupiter realized as the three of them got flung back. _Rei's ofuda turned her dark power against her, but Naru has enough control over her natural mutant powers. She's not entirely defenseless. Good thing there's a backup plan…_

Umino had run out from behind cover, rushing to Naru's side. "Naru, what's going on!? Are you OK!?"

"J-J-Just… g-g-get it… off," Naru spluttered in a raspy voice. Umino's hand jerked back as dark power kept crackling over Naru's body uncontrollably, but soon enough he yanked the ofuda off, even as he hissed in pain. Recovery wasn't instantaneous for Naru. The Sailor Senshi were on their feet well before Naru was. "Well, so much for that idea, Rei," spat Naru. The three of them weren't really listening. Their gazes drifted upward. "Wait, what are you three…" Naru's gaze followed theirs, and she saw the lightning crackling overhead.

Jupiter shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not doing this, Naru. You know who is."

Thunder rumbled over the school as even more weird weather kicked up. Namely, howling winds that carried bitter cold rushed over the roof. It wasn't too long before the water spilled from the water tower froze solid, and the rest of the roof was covered in frost and snow. Naru looked ready to sink to her knees again, shivering from the cold. Hopefully, between Storm's surprise blizzard and the lingering effects of Mars's ofuda, Naru would be weakened enough to be spirited away without a fuss. This time, Jupiter was happy to let the X-Men do their jobs for them.

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Umino stayed by Naru's side as the blizzard hammered them both, despite his clothes hardly offering much protection. He truly loved Naru with all his heart, which made this turn of events even more unfortunate. Naru half-collapsed in his arms, the biting cold sapping more and more strength with every passing second. She gazed upwards, spotting Storm hovering a safe distance above the school. Her tendrils would be of little use in Storm's blizzard, and given how the swirling snow clouded her vision, she couldn't aim accurately with her dark power.

With Storm safely out of Naru's reach, that gave the other X-Men the perfect chance to strike. The remaining Sailor Senshi had gone first, in the hopes that a less extreme method would render Naru docile. To Beast's regret, Sailor Mars's ofuda had weakened Naru considerably, but that was all. Still, between that and Storm's blizzard, the probability of the X-Men's stratagem succeeding went up considerably, now that it was their turn.

Thanks to the cover Storm's blizzard afforded, Beast climbed over the roof's edge, barreling toward Naru on all fours. Naru didn't even see him until he was practically on top of her and Umino. He shoved aside Umino as gently as he could, while grabbing Naru and throwing her against the cooling tower with a roar. He threw Naru with such force, the cooling tower was nearly ripped free of the roof.

Beast absentmindedly brushed away some snow clinging to the fur lining his face as Naru rose to glare at him. "It's regrettable that twice in the span of a week, circumstances force me to strike at the fairer sex," Beast grumbled. "Even worse when it involves a prospective new student. After that day we spent together, I was looking forward to seeing you in my class, Ms. Osaka. I take it you've rejected our offer for enrollment?"

"Wow, you are the smart one," Naru spat sardonically over the howl of the blizzard. She cut loose with some bolts of dark power, but with his agility and acrobatics, Beast had no trouble staying one step ahead. Besides, this would wear Naru out further, the whole point of their strategy. Indeed, she was getting noticeably slower. Naru had no chance to react when Beast barreled ahead, sinking his fist into her gut and sending her skidding across the frozen water covering much of the roof.

Still, Naru had enough fight left in her to rise again almost immediately. "That won't do you any good, McCoy! You know I have more than four times your strength!" She charged at him, fist reared back. But Beast simply sidestepped Naru, and her punch clumsily sailed past him.

"One cannot argue with cold, hard numbers, Ms. Osaka. Indubitably, your strength surpasses mine." Naru threw another punch, but Beast ducked aside and grabbed Naru's waist with his bare feet. "Fortunately for everyone's big blue ball of fuzzy goodness, I can fall back on my greater agility, speed and experience." Beast fell onto his back, spinning on the ice, hopefully making Naru insanely dizzy in the process. When he let go, Beast chucked her at the downed water tower. Naru splatted against it with a loud clang before slumping back down to the roof.

"Wow, Storm's making it so cold, I'm surprised Naru didn't stick to it," said Venus. The Senshi walked up to him, along with Umino.

"Please, Dr. McCoy, let me talk to her," pleaded Umino. "M-M-M-Maybe I can get her to stop…"

"People have been trying all day, Umino," said Mars. "It's only made Naru angrier."

"Give it time, Mr. Umino," said Beast. "Mars's spiritual powers couldn't quite incapacitate Ms. Osaka, but this certainly will. At any rate, my role is concluded. Only Logan and Kitty are needed now."

As if answering to his name, Wolverine suddenly climbed over the roof's edge, near the downed water tower. Just as Naru picked herself up again, Wolverine rushed right up to her. Beast heard Umino and the Sailor Senshi gasp in horror when they saw Wolverine was still brandishing the claws he used to scale the walls. Naru let out a bloodcurdling shriek as a set of adamantium claws sank into her gut.

"McCoy, w-w-w-what's…" Jupiter began, incredulous. "You X-Men said you could bring Naru in without harming her if we couldn't! What part of _GUTTING_ Naru fits the definition of 'unharmed'!?"

"Let it play out, Sailor Jupiter," Beast urged. He was just as regretful as Naru's friends, that things had come to this, but they had no choice but to see it through. "Logan was very careful to avoid severing Ms. Osaka's spine, or letting his claws penetrate too deeply. Don't forget, Ms. Mizuno deduced that her oil slick can seal otherwise fatal wounds almost instantaneously, even with this blizzard weakening its protein matrix. Not as efficacious as Logan's healing factor, but it will ensure there is no lasting harm."

Jupiter muttered something under her breath, but otherwise she seemed placated. Wolverine had pulled his claws out almost immediately, giving Naru's oil slick a chance to do just that. Still, despite the abuse Naru had taken over the last few minutes, she wasn't ready to yield. A burst of black lightning blasted Wolverine toward where Beast, Umino and the Senshi stood. Beast could see Naru's blood was already frozen onto Wolverine's claws, a sight which certainly wouldn't sit well with the others. "Man, this kid's even tougher than we thought," Wolverine grumbled as he sat up. "Both the Senshi and the X-Men've been lettin' her have it, and she's still on her feet. Really is a shame we ain't gonna be fittin' her for uniforms from the looks of it."

A quick glance back over at Naru showed Wolverine may have spoken too soon. Having adamantium claws rip into her took more out of her than she was willing to admit. She stumbled as she trudged forward, bombarded by the unrelenting blizzard. That gave Shadowcat her opening. She rose up through the roof, right behind Naru. Shadowcat grabbed Naru by the shoulder and whirled her around, plunging something else into her gut.

"I-I-I don't get it, McCoy," said Mars. "W-W-What'd Pryde just hit Naru with?" Sailor Mars got her answer when Naru turned around as she stumbled about, gazing in disbelief at the syringe stuck where one of Wolverine's claws had cut into her intestines, the plunger depressed.

"W-W-Wait… You guys stuck her with Ami's chemical cocktail?" Venus demanded. "You X-Men made some more?"

"Rather, Nathan made a point of fishing the final canister of Sailor Mercury's chemical weapon out of the sea," explained Beast. "He insisted that we keep it as a contingency."

"Even I was reluctant to go along with that," growled Wolverine. "After spendin' all that time with Osaka, seein' that she was really a sweet kid, I figured we wouldn't need it. Even the ol' Canucklehead makes mistakes."

"At any rate, this more or less solves the problem of her oil slick automatically sequestering a chemical assault, by injecting Ms. Mizuno's concoction in such a direct fashion," Beast added. "Furthermore, it makes the CNS depressing properties of the drugs even more efficacious."

Indeed, Naru was already on her knees again, gazing up with a pleading look at Shadowcat. Shadowcat simply shook her head, her gaze full of disappointment, but also sorrow. Naru tried to bring forth her oil slick after pulling the syringe out, but it bubbled out like any other liquid, and soon froze against her skin. Soon after that, she collapsed onto the roof, drained by the cold and the sedatives in Ami's weapon.

" _NARU!? NO!_ " cried Umino as he rushed over to her. By the time he reached Naru, the blizzard abruptly stopped, and Storm touched down onto the roof. The X-Men and Sailor Senshi formed a circle around the two of them, none of them particularly happy about how this turned out. A friend of the Senshi, and someone who the X-Men would've welcomed into their fold with open arms, forced to be taken down like this. As for Umino, he sobbed as he cradled Naru in his arms. She barely clung to consciousness, the drugs swiftly taking effect.

"Naru, if you can hear me, please understand that we did not wish to do this," said Storm. "But the X-Men have a duty to protect humans from mutants who refuse to use their power responsibly, and the Sailor Senshi swore to protect this city from dark forces. You left us no choice."

"I still can't believe you did all that, Naru," added Shadowcat. "I thought we got through to you. We had a plan to get you past your legal troubles, and you threw it all away!"

"D-D-Don't worry about me, K-K-Kitty," Naru croaked, her eyes barely open. "Y-Y-You won't be seeing me again…" With her last ounce of strength, she reached up to pull Umino down onto her, clutching him tightly.

"W-W-What in… She's calling upon more dark power!" cried Mars. "What's she up to!? Jupiter, Beast… _SOMEONE_ knock her out before she can do… whatever!"

Mars was cut off when Naru let out a scream, dark power crackling all over her and Umino. Black fire seemed to wash over them as well. And then, in the next instant, they vanished in a flash of that black blaze.

"Oh no, did Naru just…" Venus couldn't finish her thought, didn't dare voice what many of them dreaded.

"Looks more like Naru just teleported the two of them outta here," said Wolverine. "Hey, didn't them Shitennou jokers all have the ability to teleport?"

"B-B-But we never saw Naru teleport herself, or heard of Eclipse doing that!" Mars protested.

"Well, it would explain how Naru suddenly appeared a floor beneath Uranus and Neptune that first night we fought her," said Jupiter. "And maybe it's how Naru got around before Usagi clued her in about jumping across rooftops."

"In addition, I would surmise it's an ability that Ms. Osaka had very little fine control over, and would be reluctant to use it so casually," said Beast. "But given that she had no other way out, she took the plunge."

"And given how Cerebro, telepathy and Rei's spiritual powers were all close to useless for tracking Naru down, we've got our work cut out for us," said Shadowcat. "Now that Naru's got everything she was after, we have no way to predict her next move."

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First chapter of 2018. Last year was the 25th anniversary of Sailor Moon, and this year is the 55th anniversary of X-Men. I picked a good time to finally roll this one out, don't you think?

So long,

Grey-X


	22. Dealing With the Fallout

Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 22: Dealing With the Fallout

1-28-2018

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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"No, I'm not saying you should wait a while before seizing this opportunity. Far from it," Erina Kizachi said into the phone. "Just make sure you don't come off as an opportunist, Seto. This is the sort of incident we've been waiting for: a teenage mutant right here in Japan going completely bonkers. Property damage, hospitalized police officers, a kidnapping…. We got it all. Play this right, and we'll galvanize the whole country into action. More importantly, I'll be able to pitch Kizachi Technologies' Sentinel program by the end of the week. Same for some of the measures you've been floating."

Erina hoped enough of their marriage was still intact for her husband to pick up on the subtle cues in her voice. Things had already taken an unfortunate, unexpected turn due to one family member getting sloppy. Granted, Seto was way smarter than Gai, but he was still prone to fouling up at the worst possible time. No wonder politics suited him so well.

At any rate, his position and influence were still crucial. This was something she had in the works in the wake of their daughter's death, and Seto was completely ignorant of her true goal. Thankfully, Erina had successfully nudged him the desired direction for well over a year. Stirring up just enough anti-mutant resentment here and there in public, while maneuvering behind the scenes in the House of Councillors for when it was time to reveal her Sentinel program to a government desperate to assuage a fearful populace.

And now, thanks to Naru Osaka finally snapping, that time was soon. Her Sentinels would be unleashed, and they would leave Usagi Tsukino's heart permanently shattered in their wake.

"Those who were ready to take Yoshida's side after that interview will be forced to eat their words now, that's for sure," replied Seto. "Very well, dear. I'll be making the rounds on the evening news as soon as I can. Indeed, we must strike while the iron is hot. What about things on your end? Are the Sentinels anywhere near close to being combat-ready?"

"As close as they'll ever be," said Erina. "Let's just say I had a… unique opportunity to test them under actual combat conditions against superpowered beings," she added with a nasty grin.

"A pity you can't clandestinely use one to smoke out this little monster," said Seto. "Unchecked mutants could very well be the reason that tree grew out of control and killed our little girl. It's a wonder no officers had to leave the park in a bodybag."

Erina shut her eyes. Of course, her husband was dead wrong about the nature of the tree that decimated the Juban Odyssey building. It was merely a ploy to get Seto to go along with her scheme. Amazing how useful a little twisting of the truth still proved. Still, if he only knew the irony behind what really happened...

"There may be a chance for that yet," said Erina. In fact, one facet of the next phase of her plan involved sending out another Sentinel, but the timing would be delicate. "For now, we have to make sure all is in readiness before we pitch our little program."

"Worry not, I'll be on it as soon as I hang up. Love you," said Seto, a click following his words. Erina couldn't suppress a snort. Ever since Erika died after being caught in the crossfire between Sailor Moon and one of her nemeses, their marriage became frayed. Blaming each other for Erika's death. Granted, of the two of them, Erina knew most of the responsibility was on her, yet the bulk of the blame lay elsewhere. And soon, it would be time to make Sailor Moon painfully aware of that.

Erina hung up the receiver and glanced at the television in her main office again. Gai was down in her secret office, watching the monitors until she could get down there tonight. She couldn't go home to her condo, not with the X-Men and Sailor Senshi liable to take out their frustrations on her in the wake of Naru Osaka's rampage. Still, the cameras she clandestinely placed in key areas of Tokyo also fed pertinent discoveries to her computer up here as well. In fact, there was a meeting in her office today that had to be abruptly ended once she got the alert. Funny how at times she could still get so wrapped up in her old life, running this business, only to be abruptly reminded of the only thing that mattered now.

A most welcome sight greeted Erina once she brought up the feed. Naru Osaka cutting loose with her powers in the most dramatic, destructive way imaginable. News bulletins on the television followed soon thereafter. In fact, once her camera was covered in frost, watching the live feed from news copters was the only way to see what was going on. Granted, swirling snow around that school's roof hid most of the action. When Storm's blizzard died away, however, Erina saw Naru teleport herself and Umino away.

Erina chuckled to herself again. Naru wasn't a super-genius like her herself, or even Dr. McCoy or Ami Mizuno. But she was a crafty little girl nonetheless. All that time, making the Sailor Senshi believe Naru Osaka and Eclipse were two different people. And then, keeping her budding teleportation ability hidden until she really needed it. Enough snow and wind faded when Sailor Moon and her group arrived at the school's roof. The way Sailor Moon fell to her knees, sobbing as her fellow Senshi broke the news, warmed Erina's heart beyond belief.

This was the culmination of over a year of careful planning. Stirring up anti-mutant sentiment, mostly through her husband. Using Gai to steer his yakuza clan toward jobs that would both speed along the construction of her Sentinels, while ensuring Naru Osaka would wreak more and more havoc. First as a vigilante hunting yakuza, and then when she became disillusioned with the path of a hero.

"If it wasn't for the unfortunate death of your mother, Osaka, I'd say you should thank me. For helping you see the truth," Erina muttered. That did threaten to spoil the mood. Her scheme involved Gai manipulating his yakuza associates to harass and intimidate Mayumi Osaka, thus nudging her daughter further and further down the desired path. To see her die when it was almost said and done because of Gai, after how carefully he orchestrated so much else, left a foul taste in her mouth.

Still, perhaps it couldn't have been avoided. Her plan was dependent on Naru Osaka's descent into darkness. There was simply no other way to drive a dagger through Sailor Moon's heart. She endured seeing her love captured and brainwashed, then watching as her friends got picked off one by one, yet none of that broke her. But to see a close friend turn to the darkness of her own free will, to be forced to fight her… _THAT_ was something Usagi Tsukino never faced before, something she would never expect. Many would insist the bonds of friendship were a weakness, but that was only if you knew where and how to strike.

And at last, through Naru, she struck a near-fatal blow in just the right way. As she watched a replay of the helicopter feed, and saw Sailor Moon collapse to her knees again, Erina let a low laugh escape her lips. She had waited for this moment for so long, planned so carefully… Now that it was here, she intended to savor it.

Granted, her work was not complete. For one thing, Erik Lehnsherr would certainly not be pleased. Any hopes of Naru actually joining his cause went out the window today. It was clear Naru was simply out for herself at this juncture, wanting nothing to do with Magneto, the X-Men and especially the Sailor Senshi. The Master of Magnetism would have to settle for Naru causing an uproar fanning the flames of hate and distrust in Japan like never before. Furthermore, there were her Sentinels, and using them to create an even greater rift. As Japan descended into chaos, and Sailor Moon was forced to watch helplessly, only then would her revenge be complete. Sailor Moon's heart was broken now, but only then could Erina ensure it was shattered to pieces forever.

In the meantime, Erina contented herself with knowing she just made Usagi Tsukino's heart ache like never before. Low laughter kept echoing in her office as Erina watched the news feed, smiling the whole time.

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Kenji paced restlessly in the living room, only half-listening to the news broadcast. It was mostly repetition of what had been relayed before. Which would only feed into the hysteria already gripping the people of Tokyo. It shamed Kenji to realize that the sort of paranoia so prevalent in the United States was finally taking hold in his own country. Before he left America after that fateful day the X-Men and Magneto first appeared, he heard whispers on the buses, in the airport. Wondering just what to make of these X-Men, and mutants in general. It wasn't long before the X-Men started to be viewed with suspicion, much to Kenji's dismay.

Bad enough things had been building to this point these last few months, but now, something else plagued Kenji's thoughts. Ever since that day, Kenji always wondered if one of his own children would be a mutant. Now he realized nothing could have braced him for the truth. He knew he should feel proud. His daughter, all this time, secretly one of Japan's heroes! He had hoped Usagi would one day step up, show initiative. To find just how much she did…

But now, as Kenji glanced at the television again, he didn't know what to feel. Seeing Usagi forced to fight her friend was bad enough. A worse blow came when Kenji saw Sailor Moon break down on television. It was only a brief glimpse from a news copter, but that was enough for Kenji to see just how heartbroken she was.

 _I always thought… Seeing the X-Men here in Japan again, it should be uplifting,_ Kenji mused as he glanced at the television again. Dr. McCoy, Storm, the Wolverine and the Shadowcat… He recognized them all. They stood alongside the Senshi, looking just as flabbergasted when Naru vanished, spiriting away Umino with her. Then Sailor Moon came and broke down upon hearing the bad news. Shingo and Ikuko were glued to the television as well. What was going through their minds? Besides utter disbelief, that was.

Eventually, the evening news finally showed something different. Ikuko gasped upon seeing Usagi's old English teacher trying to get away from reporters. For some reason, she was rubbing her neck. "No comment, you goddamn vultures! Do you hear me!? _**NO COMMENT!**_ Go find someone else to badmouth mutant kids!" Haruna roared, before she actually shoved the cameraman and the feed went to static.

Then they cut to footage from the other side of the world. Kenji recognized her instantly, having written articles on her. Rui Saionji, the tennis star, and an old friend of Naru's from what Kenji could recall. She was playing internationally at the moment, and a reporter in France asked her something. Kenji's French was rusty, but it was definitely a leading question, to get something negative about Naru out of Rui. Rui simply held up a finger, silently asking for a second. Then she opened up the case for her tennis racket, took it out, and swung at the reporter. The feed went dark again. "At least some people won't give up on friends so easily," Kenji grumbled.

Ikuko shot him a strange look. She wouldn't easily forgive Naru, if ever, but it weighed on her heart, how all this affected Usagi.

"Usagi will find her, right?" Shingo asked hesitantly. "I mean, she's smoked out worse, and those X-Men… Papa, you're always going on about how good they are. They'll help her out, right?"

"They've set aside their differences, at least," said Kenji. Beyond that, he wasn't sure what to say. What was there to say? His admiration for the X-Men didn't extend to cheering them on as they rushed into battle with his daughter.

"Setting aside differences…" muttered Ikuko. She looked back to the television, then buried her face in her hands, sobbing. "Oh, I can't believe this! No wonder Usagi exploded! Those things I said before… I-I-I-I must've sounded so foolish to her! A-A-And now her friend's gone completely insane, egged on by that sort of talk!"

"You couldn't have known, dear," said Kenji. "How could any of us guessed she was actually Sailor Moon this whole time?"

"I'm her _MOTHER_ , Kenji!" cried Ikuko. "Mothers are supposed to figure out these things about their daughters! And this little girl who barely made it into high school somehow went out… superheroing under my nose this whole time!?"

"Well, in hindsight, maybe the hair should've clued us in…" Shingo offered.

"At any rate, those two friends of hers didn't tell us much," grumbled Ikuko. "There's gratitude for you, after we return their car and cut them loose from Naru's gunk."

"It doesn't matter. Usagi promised to tell us everything, remember?" Kenji reminded her.

Ikuko shook her head, still crying. "W-W-What if she doesn't want to come home? What if she's too afraid to face us?"

"Yeah. maybe she's got this secret base on the Moon or something!" cried Shingo. "She'd _BETTER_ show me that, the big dummy…"

Kenji didn't know what to say. It dawned on him how much of a mystery Sailor Moon really was to the people of Japan. Just _WHAT_ secrets would their daughter reveal? Did she have the courage to tell all? Did they have the courage to hear it?

A shrill, howling wind right outside interrupted Kenji's thoughts. It soon caught Ikuko and Shingo's attention, too. They all looked to the sliding glass door leading to the backyard. Leaves and dirt swirled around, and fog rolled in just around their house. Cover, Kenji realized. Then, just as he expected, Storm slowly lowered herself to the ground, holding onto Sailor Moon with one arm and Sailor Chibi-Moon with the other.

Ikuko was on her feet and sliding open the door before Storm's feet touched the dirt. "Oh, my baby!" she cried as she scooped Sailor Moon up in her arms. "Naru didn't get her hands on you again, did she!? Are you still hurt from before!?"

"Please, Mama! Not in front of other superheroes!" Sailor Moon protested, wriggling free.

Ikuko glanced anxiously over at Storm. Ikuko had to know who she was, and what she could do. No doubt she summoned that blizzard over the school. Despite knowing how awkward her presence was, Storm turned to Sailor Moon and asked, "Usagi, would you like me to stay and help… explain some things?"

Sailor Moon stared at Storm for a moment. Clearly, she wanted a little help to make this go smoother. "I-I-I-I'd like that, Ororo. But for now, I think it's best to keep this 'in the family', so to speak…"

"Is that so? I hope you'll reconsider, Ms. Tsukino. Otherwise, I will have had Nathan bring me all the way out here for nothing," came another voice from above. They all looked up to see Cable levitating himself down, but he brought someone else with him. A bald man, who also looked to be from the West. Curiously, Cable was also levitating a wheelchair made mostly of clear plastic.

"Professor!?" cried Sailor Moon. It was odd to hear Usagi speak to an educator with such… reverence. "Why are you here? Aren't there bigger problems than, well, some family troubles?"

"Considering that telepathy and Cerebro are still proving useless in tracking down Naru Osaka, and I'm having no luck locating Umino's thoughts either, I believe this may be a better use of my time," said the man as Cable set him gently down in his wheelchair. "Besides, since you've chosen to explain everything to your family, I decided they are trustworthy enough to learn about your newest allies. Especially your father."

"What? Why would Kenji…" Ikuko began, then something dawned on her. "Y-Y-You… have something to do with the X-Men, too?"

"A very big something," said Chibi-Moon.

"Indeed. I am Professor Charles Xavier," he said. "I founded the X-Men."

Kenji just stared at him in disbelief for a moment. This man confined to a wheelchair put together the team that took down Magneto time and again? Of course, if he was a mutant too… "Wait… You said you're a telepath?" he asked delicately.

"That's correct," said Xavier. "I helped Nathan paralyze everyone in that park with my power, and purge their memories. Save you three, on Usagi's insistence."

"So… you know what we're thinking? Right now?" asked Shingo nervously.

"No, I don't use my power recklessly, and I've learned how to control it over the years," said Xavier. "That's the whole purpose of my school and the X-Men, to teach mutants to control their powers and be an asset to mankind."

"And if you don't mind, the two of us need to be getting back to that," said Cable gruffly.

"Usagi, if you want any help later, if you need someone else to talk to… Please don't hesitate to call on me," Storm pleaded. Sailor Moon took Storm's hands in hers and nodded, tears in her eyes. There was some strange bond forming, between these two leaders of superhero teams, Kenji could sense it. He also saw some pain in Ikuko's eyes. She sensed it too, and it tore at her, how this stranger understood their daughter in a way they never could.

Storm backed away, along with Cable, and suddenly swirling winds picked up again. She let her winds carry her up and away from their house. Cable followed, using his telekinesis the same way, just as the fog faded away.

Kenji and Ikuko kept looking up as the two X-Men faded into the night sky. They looked back to Sailor Moon when a fierce glow went off in their peripheral vision. In a flurry of glowing flower petals that soon faded to nothing, the form of Sailor Moon vanished, and their daughter stood in her place. Chibiusa also reverted back to her usual self. But the sadness, the hurt, didn't fade away, especially for Usagi.

"Usagi, if now isn't the… best time, it can wait…" Kenji began. As much as he wanted to learn the truth about Sailor Moon, it wasn't worth it if it made the raw pain in her heart worse.

Usagi shook her head. "N-N-N-No Papa… I promised I'd tell you everything. B-B-Besides, I've kept this secret long enough."

They followed Usagi back into the house. Remembering they had a guess, and one confined to a wheelchair at that, Kenji turned back. However, that plastic wheelchair was moving on its own, despite having no controls. Perhaps there was some sort of motor inside, but how was Xavier operating it? With his thoughts?

Kenji soon found themselves seat on their couch, with Usagi and Chibiusa standing in front of it, with Xavier between them. Silence ate away at all of them, except for Xavier, who seemed to have bountiful patience, simply waiting for someone else to speak first. However, after several awkward moments, he said, "Well, I've visited the families of many gifted youngsters in my years, but I must say none have been quite like this. Typically, it's about enrollment at my school."

"So, y-y-y-your… students…" Ikuko began. "They were telling the truth about being in Japan for new recruits?"

"The scary-looking short dude said something about Usagi being more special than anyone realized," added Shingo. "Looks like he was right."

"So all of you X-Men knew she was Sailor Moon? How?" There was no mistaking the hurt and frustration in Ikuko's voice. How dare these strangers from the other side of the world figure all this out first? Kenji shared some of that frustration. After idolizing the X-Men so long, it did slightly sting of betrayal.

Xavier was surprisingly forthcoming. "I have a special device that detects mutants via their brainwave patterns, which differ significantly from normal humans, so…"

"But Usagi's not a mutant," Shingo cut in. "Is she?"

"No, yet the nature of Usagi's power and that of her teammates confused Cerebro, while something about Naru Osaka's mutation serves to shield her from most methods of detection," said Xavier. "So while the X-Men and I were trying to locate Eclipse, we accidentally stumbled upon all the Sailor Senshi."

Usagi stayed silent, no doubt still reeling from Naru turning on them all, happy to let Xavier do the talking for the moment. It was dawning on Kenji, how big her revelations would be. The entire Senshi team, would she reveal all their identities, too? Would they take kindly to that? Judging by how Haruka Tenoh and her partner were so surly and evasive, probably not.

"Why were you looking for Eclipse in the first place?" demanded Ikuko.

"To keep a dangerous mutant from harming others, to find a potential recruit, or at the very least try to help a troubled mutant… A good number of reasons," said Xavier. "All of which pertain to my life's work."

"There's more to it than that," said Kenji suddenly. "Magneto's been active a little too close to Japan, and Usagi asked me to look into Kizachi Technologies. Are all of these things interconnected somehow?"

Rather than look incensed that he was prodding in his affairs, Xavier actually smiled. "Ah, Usagi wasn't exaggerating about you being one of Japan's sharpest reporters," said Xavier.

"And you're right," said Chibiusa. "As terrifying as it is, Magneto's here in Tokyo, right now." Kenji could sense Ikuko was ready to faint, and he didn't feel too well at the moment himself. "Plus, he working with Erina Kizachi, so she can build Sentinels for some reason. And Naru was part of both their plans. Magneto caused that monorail accident, and we think Kizachi used certain yakuza connections to goad them into harassing Naru's mother. Just to push her to the breaking point."

Kenji saw Usagi grip the back of Xavier's wheelchair tightly, and tear up all over again. Kenji wondered if any of her past escapades as Sailor Moon caused her this much pain. Yet he was also fascinated by Chibiusa's matter-of-fact delivery of all that. That carefree child he thought he knew, gone now that the masquerade was over. And she was supposedly Usagi's child with Mamoru Chiba, from the future? In all his time as a reporter, never had Kenji felt so completely over his head like this. Not even back at Cape Citadel.

"And what about you, Usagi?" asked Ikuko delicately. "How does… Sailor Moon fit into all of this?"

Usagi sighed as she choked back tears. "Well, I-I-I-I guess there's no putting it off any more," she stammered. "Erina Kizachi hates Sailor Moon. Part of this is revenge, pure and simple."

"Revenge? For what?" Shingo demanded. "You're a superhero, right!? Why would some roboticist have it out for you?"

"Maybe we should start at the beginning," came an unfamiliar voice. Everyone turned to see Usagi's cat, Luna, stride into the living room. And then, she made Kenji's heart leap into his chest when she _SPOKE_. "I can help explain how this all began. Actually, it started many millennia ago, when…"

"Uh, L-L-L-Luna, maybe this isn't the best time for a talking cat to be thrown into the mix," said Usagi delicately with a nervous laugh.

The cat then scowled at Usagi, in a disturbingly human-like manner. "Oh please. Xavier's planning on spilling everything about a team of superpowered mutants that's been in space and fought demonic entities, but a talking cat is a bridge too far!?" Luna scoffed, sounding quite offended.

"Yeah, c'mon Usagi. It's a _TALKING CAT_!" Shingo protested. "You've been hiding the fact you had a _TALKING CAT_ this whole time!?" That made Kenji a little edgy. All this time, a sentient animal had been in their midst? Just what other nasty surprises were there?

"Cats still made you nervous, Shingo," spat Usagi. "Like you could've handled knowing Luna was as smart as any person…"

"Way smarter than some people around here," added Chibiusa.

"Yeah, and… _**HEY!**_ " cried Usagi.

"Alright everyone! The… talking cat can stay!" cried Ikuko. "It's just… I want to hear it in your own words, Usagi. How did you become Sailor Moon in the first place, if the Senshi aren't mutants?"

Usagi fidgeted for a moment, fumbling around for the right words. "W-W-Well, I didn't… _become_ Sailor Moon, really. Like mutants, I was born this way too. R-R-Reincarnated might be a better word…"

"So, Luna's telling the truth about this beginning far in the past?" asked Kenji.

"On the Moon, believe it or not," said Luna. "Thousands and thousands of years ago, the Moon Kingdom existed up there, and Usagi used to be known as Princess Serenity."

"It's not all that hard to accept," added Xavier. "There are other ancient civilizations that once existed on our moon, for one thing."

"So you were once a princess? And… originally, you weren't my daughter?" asked Ikuko, wonder mingling with sorrow.

Usagi shook her head furiously. "No, Mama! Don't think like that! I can count the times I've spoken to Queen Serenity in this life on one hand! You're the one who raised me!"

Kenji could tell this was one reason Usagi dreaded her family ever learning the truth. Deciding a change of subject was in order, he said, "And this Moon Kingdom, what happened to it?"

"This evil creature born of a sunspot called Queen Metalia… She found a willing accomplice in Beryl, a woman jealous of Princess Serenity's relationship with Endymion. Beryl conned his four bodyguards into becoming her lieutenants, the Shitennou, and in turn convinced to people of Earth to rise up against the Moon Kingdom," said Luna. To hear a _cat_ tell them of some ancient tragedy that sounded like it came out of a fantasy novel… Yet, it all had to be true. "In the ensuing war, just about everything was destroyed. Beryl and Metalia were about to win, and Queen Serenity was forced to fall back on a desperation move."

"And that was?" asked Ikuko.

"This," said Usagi. She held out a heart-shaped compact, the one she used to wear on her school uniform. It opened up, revealing a gem that glowed with an indescribable ferocity.

"The Ginzuishou, I believe it's called," said Xavier. "The only thing I've seen quite like it is the Infinity Gems, and this may have the potential to surpass the entire set."

"But under normal circumstances, it drains the life energy of the user," said Luna. "Queen Serenity sacrificed herself to stop Queen Beryl's army cold, and ensure Princess Serenity and the Sailor Senshi assigned to protect her would be reborn when Metalia and her servants returned. My partner and I were placed in stasis, waiting for the day they were to reawaken."

The three of them let all this sink in for a moment. To think, their daughter inherited something so powerful, it could burn out the user. Ikuko sounded aghast. "U-U-Usagi, you never actually used it yourself, have you?"

"Yes. I eventually used it to obliterate Metalia and Beryl once and for all, and a few other times," said Usagi. "And if Magneto aims to turn his power on Tokyo, I may have to use it again." That earned her a glare from Xavier as well. "What? He took apart Uranus and Neptune in no time, remember? And he knows who the rest of us are, too. It may come to that…" The way Usagi seemed so at ease with using a weapon that could kill her too, with fighting the most dangerous mutant terrorist out there… If they needed any further proof that his daughter had truly matured, truly had the courage befitting a superhero, they just got it.

Shingo, however, was dwelling on something else. "Even _MAGNETO_ knew you were really Sailor Moon before us!?" he demanded, incredulous.

"He found out thanks to Erina Kizachi," said Xavier. "That was another reason I came here tonight. Since Kizachi's ultimate goal is revenge against your daughter, the three of you may be targeted as well, either by her or by Magneto's forces. For your protection, I would like you to stay with the X-Men and Sailor Senshi until this crisis is resolved."

"And where would that be?" asked Ikuko.

"Their plane is hidden behind the Hikawa Shrine," said Luna. "That's where they've been operating out of these last few days."

Kenji raised an eyebrow. "You mean, that modified SR-71 Blackbird your X-Men are always seen flying around in?"

"That's the one, yeah," said Chibiusa. "It's pretty damn cool, too."

Xavier smiled. "You truly have been keeping up with our exploits all these years. I'm flattered. In any case, Rei Hino's grandfather is currently away, so the Senshi and X-Men have free reign of the shrine. There will always be several people protecting both the shrine and the Blackbird. You'd be safer there than anywhere else in Tokyo at the moment."

Ikuko and Shingo didn't look mollified, but Kenji knew that, given the circumstances, it was the safest place to go. And of course, he could learn more about the X-Men than he ever dared hope, perhaps eke out another award-winning story in the process.

"Y-Y-You sure we won't have to worry about Magneto while sticking close to the shrine?" asked Ikuko, her dubiousness palpable.

"Ikuko-mama, if anyone out there knows Magneto better than he knows himself, it's Charles Xavier," said Chibiusa.

"What's that supposed to mean?" demanded Shingo.

"It means that Xavier knows how Magneto fights, how he thinks," said Luna. "He always has, long before Cape Citadel."

"Luna, that's a bit much, don't you think?" said Usagi testily.

"It's quite alright, Ms. Tsukino. You felt you could entrust your family with your secret, so out of respect I'll do the same," said Xavier. "Luna is quite correct. I once knew Magneto as Erik Magnus Lehnsherr. I met him in an Israeli hospital, where he was doing volunteer work, drawn to it being a Holocaust survivor. I spent many months with him, until circumstances forced us to reveal our powers to each other. In the aftermath, the bitterness and grief he once kept in check ultimately consumed him, and I knew one day he would resurface. I vowed to be ready for him when it happened, no matter how painful it would be."

"And that's why we have the X-Men," added Usagi.

"One of the reasons," said Chibiusa. "They also have to keep idiot humans from doing stupid stuff like building Sentinels guaranteed to go out of control."

"But now, it looks like both duties overlap each other," said Xavier.

"And sucked in Usagi's team in the process," said Ikuko darkly. "But what were those fights between your two teams about?"

"Nothing I approved of, that's for certain. And Ms. Tsukino sought to avoid conflict as well," said Xavier sternly.

"What's important now is that we're working together," said Usagi quickly. "But the professor's right about you three needing to keep yourselves safe until we make Magneto run with his tail between his legs again. I lost a friend today, Mama, maybe forever. I can't lose my family, too."

Ikuko shut her eyes and sighed, her frustration and disbelief a tangible thing again. This time, Kenji shared it. He was her husband, and Usagi's father, the one who was supposed to provide for and protect all of them. But it was his daughter who would be rushing into a fight, getting her hands dirty. And he would have to entrust his family to another man who, despite being the X-Men's founder, was still more or less a stranger.

"W-W-We'll all go to the shrine, if only so I can keep an eye on you," said Ikuko at length.

"Believe it or not, Usagi's quite capable of taking care of herself," said Luna.

"Except when it comes to cooking," Chibiusa threw in, earning her a glare from Usagi.

"Then I can still fill that void," said Ikuko dryly. "Point is, Usagi, I'll be watching you more closely than ever…"

"In the meantime, before we go… Let's hear about all the other cool stuff you've done as Sailor Moon!" cried Shingo.

There was an odd look in Usagi's eyes, and Kenji knew even more old wounds were about to be reopened. Despite all that, however, Usagi went on. By the time she finished, one thought stuck out for Kenji. He and Ikuko had desperately wanted to see their daughter grow up a little. But the burden fate demanded that she shoulder showed that she grew up quite a lot. Yet with the way Naru's lashing out weighed on her heart more than anything else, she would need her family to help shoulder the burden this time. And Kenji vowed to be there for his daughter, however long it took.

He could do that for his little girl, at least.

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As his eyes slowly fluttered open, all that Umino was aware of was feeling burned all over. As in, he should be covered in third-degree burns. Yet when he rubbed his thumbs over his palms, his skin felt fine. He shifted around on whatever he was laying on, and it didn't feel like anything was wrong with his skin. He also felt light-headed, a fog keeping him from thinking straight. Trying to remember just what had happened, he finally recalled Naru, groggy, drugged and freezing, reaching up to grab him. That's when things got hazy. He did remember a flash of fire – some dark, unnatural fire - and the sensation of being burned, though it evidently wasn't injurious.

Umino tried to bring his eyesight into focus, but it wasn't easy. For one thing, wherever Naru had taken him, it was dimly lit. One set of fluorescent lights hung above him, but it did little to illuminate the place. As if this place was just naturally gloomy. That, and he realized his glasses weren't on his face.

Groaning, Umino slowly sat up, still feeling achy. How long was he out, and just where did Naru bring them? Without his glasses and with the lingering darkness, it was difficult to figure out the latter. Wherever it was, there were no windows, no clues he could make out. All he could make out was a figure in bright enough clothing to stand out… It was Naru, still in her ruined school uniform. She sat in some office chair near the foot of a bed she must have placed him on, watching over him.

At first, it looked like the effects of Ami's drug still lingered. Naru appeared half-asleep, slouched in the chair. Soon enough, however, her eyes snapped open completely, hearing telltale signs of movement. "Umino!" she cried, turning to him with a relieved expression. "You're alright!? The strain of the teleportation wore off!?"

"L-L-Looks like it," Umino spluttered. His chest ached just from getting those words out. And here he thought lifting weights with Naru had helped his stamina. "W-W-What possessed you to try teleporting with another person? You've been struggling to control that with just yourself…"

Even in the faint light, Umino could see tears form in Naru's eyes. "I-I-I-I didn't see any other way out!" she cried. "A-A-And Kitty told me about her friend who teleports, and could get other people around that way just fine. I-I-I-I figured I could do it too…"

"Remind me to focus more on your teleportation power in our next session," said Umino dryly. He wasn't being entirely sarcastic. If there was a way for Naru to get him around without making it feel like he was being burned at the stake, best to pursue that. "Anyway, what about you? That concoction Kitty pumped you full of seems to have worn off…"

"Yeah, after nearly half a day," said Naru.

Umino's eyes widened. "And I was even out longer?"

Naru could only nod, trembling with shame as well as relief. All this time she worried about accidentally breaking him in half, yet teleporting with him did a greater number than her super strength ever did. "You still had a pulse, a-a-a-and you didn't really seem hurt, just exhausted. So I've been here watching over you the whole time."

Umino looked around again, but could make out little in the murky darkness. "And just where is here?"

"Someplace Sailor Moon and Professor X will never find us," said Naru icily.

Umino frowned at Naru. "I… don't think we can give their teams the slip forever."

"We'll see," said Naru. "I meant what I said about not risking anyone else I love getting hurt or killed on their watch."

Umino didn't know how to respond. He cared for Naru, wanted to make her happy. But this was going too far. He never intended for Naru to use her powers this way, to lash out at her friends in anger, and technically this was kidnapping. On top of whatever else Naru did while en route to the prep school. Umino looked around again, but without his glasses, it was hopeless. "Naru, where are my glasses?"

"Don't worry, they weren't broken," said Naru. "It's just, well…"

"It's just… what?" demanded Umino.

Naru's icy expression melted into one of slyness. "I just realized that I've never seen you without your glasses until now, Umino," she said with surprising sweetness. "You're… so much more handsome without them than I imagined." She stood up, stumbling a little. Ami's chemical cocktail, Storm's blizzard, Wolverine's claws… Something was still affecting her. She came over to the side of his bed, caressing the side of his face with one hand. "Let's just say it's made me more determined nothing ever happens to you."

The feel of her hand, such surprising gentleness, made Umino's heart flutter. It took a great deal of willpower to focus, to not lose himself in her gentle touch. "N-N-N-Naru, don't you think you're being a little too overprotective?"

Naru fixed him with a stony gaze. "With a human-hating terrorist out there that endangered a monorail car full of people, by manipulating one of the fundamental forces of nature? With scores of yakuza who'd do anything to get back at me for all their buddies I put in the hospital? I think not."

Given how Naru had such a dim view of humanity now, going by what she spewed at Haruna back in that classroom, the former sounded a bit hypocritical. It took a moment for Umino to work up the courage to say so. "Naru, you're not exactly eager to be a defender of humanity yourself. It's… quite obvious you're not making plans to attend Xavier Institute anytime soon."

"You heard McCoy and the others, Umino," said Naru gruffly. "How often does trouble show up at the doorstep of their mansion in America? Juggernaut, Apocalypse's Four Horsemen, Sentinels, Marauders, Hellfire Club, Mojo… And here in Tokyo, who knows when the next psychos connected to Usagi's past or future will show up and wreak havoc? Nuts to all of that. Sorry if you were really looking forward to attending Xavier's school, but I'm done having us in the line of fire." Then her expression softened a little as she sat on the edge of the bed. "As for the rest of humanity…screw them. You're the only human left worth caring about."

"That's… painting my kind with a bit too broad a brush," said Umino nervously. "And, well, don't I get a say in the matter?"

"You said wherever I go, you go," Naru reminded him. "I'm sticking here, where no one can find us. And once I'm good enough with teleportation, I can make sure no one tracks me when I have to venture out for things."

She took her hand away from his face, then let black goo flow over it. "I scoped this place out before driving to the park to confront Usagi. I figured there was a way to make teleporting to certain spots easier, in case I had no choice but to try. By leaving a bit of gunk with a faint charge of dark energy that I could zero in on later. I call it 'tagging', and it worked. It was a rough trip, but I got us here from that rooftop, didn't I? Once I 'tag' enough spots here in Tokyo, I can get around in a blink of an eye. Whatever you want, I can get for you, and no one will be able to stop me."

Bad enough Naru seemed proud about attacking people for no reason, but now she seemed willing to just take whatever she wanted. "N-N-Naru, this is really going too far. First off, I think the Sailor Senshi and X-Men just proved they _CAN_ stop you. B-B-B-Besides, you're not a thief…"

"I'll be whatever this world forces me to be in order for us to survive," said Naru darkly. "Granted, I still have plenty of money, what I've legally inherited from my mother, but… If you can't go to Xavier Institute, I can still help you out. I can get you whatever books you want, whatever scientific equipment you need. Of course, there's plenty of tech here to keep you enthralled for months, I'll bet…"

Umino was about to ask again just where Naru teleported them to, but she went on. "And Umino, stop being so modest. You're already smarter than most of the teachers we ever had, or would have had. Think about it, Umino! With my powers and your brains, we can accomplish anything! We won't need anyone else!"

Granted, Naru had a point. They could accomplish a good deal together, but it still sounded crazy to him, to forsake the rest of the world like this out of spite. Umino hoped that Naru wouldn't notice this ego stroking wasn't having quite the desired effect, but some instinct told him she picked up on that. However, instead of looking frustrated or flustered, she flashed a coy smile at him, as if she knew another way to get him to lighten up.

"Anyway, I think I've been stuck in this mangled uniform a bit too long," said Naru softly. Umino felt blood rush to his face when Naru took off her scorched, bullet hole-riddled top. Even without his glasses, Umino could make out his girlfriend wearing nothing but a bra from the waist up. The sight rooted Umino to the spot, his mind going blank as Naru crawled onto the bed, hovering right over him.

Still, Umino had enough presence of mind to notice something, even in the dim light. Until now, he never got a good look at the scar Sailor Moon gave Naru. It did look quite unsightly, and painful. And now, Naru sported a trio of stab wounds right below it, still patched up by her black ooze. How long would it take for those scars to heal, if ever?

Naru looked down and frowned, realizing Umino wasn't gawking at what she wanted him to. "Oh, those," she said dryly. "As if we needed any more reminders we can't trust any of them."

Umino was about to point out she was attacking the Sailor Senshi before receiving both scars, but thought better of it. Instead, he simply asked, "Naru, don't those still… hurt?"

"Nah, my oil slick patched them up in short order," said Naru quickly. "Anyway, enough about me. Right now, I want to focus on you," she added seductively. She leaned closer, reaching behind Umino's head.

As much as Umino desired this, he still felt a twinge of fear. Not exactly fear that Naru would accidentally snap him in half while making out with him. Her control over her strength truly had improved. Under normal circumstances, he would happily accept the risk. No, on top of feeling like this would be biting into forbidden fruit, it scared Umino that Naru wanted to… rush things. Either to fill an emotional void, or to salve inner pain that still seethed.

Umino wasn't given too much time to ponder it, as Naru forcibly locked lips with him, and his resistance ebbed. She pulled him close with her other arm, pressing down onto him. She held him a little too tightly, but it was bearable. And at this point, he thought nothing of the goop he felt flowing down her arms, triggered by her emotions. Finally surrendering, Umino deepened the kiss as he wrapped his arms around Naru. Naru moaned in delight, but Umino suddenly felt anxious again as his hand brushed over the back of her bra. Just _HOW_ far did Naru intend to go? And something else perplexed him. The way her skin felt like hard rubber, and how it definitely was bulletproof. Pulling away, he looked up into Naru's eyes and asked, "N-N-N-Naru, your power, h-h-h-how you're resistant to physical harm… C-C-Can you even feel it when we touch, o-o-o-or…"

"I feel _enough_ ," Naru said sternly. "Now just shut up and keep kissing me."

"Don't you think we're taking things a little too… fast all of a sudden?" asked Umino delicately. "What's the rush?"

Naru scowled down at him. "Usagi never told you the whole story, did she?"

"The whole story? About what?"

"This future of hers, with Mamoru," said Naru acidly. Was that envy in her voice, too? "Where she becomes queen and ushers in an age of world peace or something. Their love will bloom eternal, but us? No mention of what happens to us. Let her have her preordained future. We're making our own." With that, Naru leaned down to kiss him again, holding him too tightly for any hope of getting away. So Umino just let himself melt into her embrace again.

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Magneto knew he should be satisfied with this turn of events. That after the unexpected death of Mayumi Osaka, things proceeded as smoothly as could be expected, given how unpredictable and volatile that tragedy would make her daughter. Naru's outburst with her powers and litany of crimes under human law would make the humans of Japan even more fearful than ever, demanding action. And his own human ally would be in a position to pitch something that would, in time, serve Magneto's ends instead, and thus all of mutantkind. Yet, it still felt like a failure. Naru rejected his old friend's path and turned on the Sailor Senshi, but at the same time turned away from his cause as well.

Naru Osaka was a mutant that belonged in his fold. At first, Magneto doubted Kizachi's guarantees that Naru could be goaded into taking vigilante action against the yakuza, the first step in using her for their plans. He had been happy to be proven wrong, and impressed by Naru's willingness to go to such lengths in her Eclipse persona. Someone willing to do whatever it took to survive, to persevere, to keep history from repeating itself. Any Acolytes who dared question his decision to welcome humans onto Asteroid M, as part of a deal for Naru's allegiance, would have quickly regretted such folly.

But for the moment, there was no worry about that. Naru Osaka had disappeared with her boyfriend, showing teleportation was in her arsenal of mutant powers. Now, neither he nor Erina Kizachi could track her. She insisted she could soon reacquire her location, so they could watch for another chance to recruit her. Magneto was willing to trust her, so long as her idiot nephew had no part in it. The death of Naru's mother was partly why she wasn't at his side, preparing to make Japan ground zero for mutant liberation.

A fact he was all too willing to remind Kizachi of as he strode into her secret office. This time, he wore his trademark outfit again, to show he meant business. At first, Kizachi didn't even notice he was there, her chair turned around to face the monitors behind her desk. More likely, she knew full well he was there, but made a show of playing dumb while listening to someone on the phone. He wouldn't put it past Kizachi.

"Good to hear. Keep feeling everyone out, Seto. The sooner Kizachi Technologies can make the pitch, the better," said Kizachi before hanging up. A few moments passed before her chair swung around. "Ah, Lehnsherr, good news. That was my husband, and it looks like we can get the Sentinels out in the open sooner rather than later. On top of that, he's pitched the use of mercenary outfits for situations deemed too delicate for Sentinels."

"Then at least something's going according to plan," said Magneto coolly.

"Yes. It's finally happening," said Kizachi with a saccharine grin. "To think, it's taken this long. All these years, people actually thought Sunfire would be the only mutant to come out of this country. The bombs dropped during World War II were partly the reason for his mutation, and many were naïve enough to believe it would stop with him. Well, it took long enough, but a whole generation of Japanese mutants is here. And you'll be there to recruit them to your cause once the Sentinels start rampaging, just like we wanted."

"Only it looks more and more as if Naru Osaka won't be among them," said Magneto darkly, striding closer to her desk. "Perhaps the most powerful of this generation from the Land of the Rising Sun, and she's turned her back on _EVERYONE_."

"There'll be another chance," Kizachi said quickly. "I can still use her for another part of our plan, you know that. We can modify it so you can make your pitch to her personally. Instead of waiting for Naru to come to you, this time we'll make it so you can go to her."

"That could work. Now that she's become disillusioned with both her old friend and mine, Naru may yet see reason," said Magneto. "Just make sure your nephew has nothing to do with your modified plans."

"Given how the gaijin will soon be on the rampage again after Naru slipped away, I'll be keeping Gai away from _EVERYTHING_ , believe me," grumbled Kizachi. "That's one thing Osaka and I have in common. We've both learned the hard way we have to keep those we love out of the crossfire."

Magneto knew what she was referring to. "Still the need for revenge after the loss of your daughter, Kizachi. I must admit, when you initially came to me with your plan for your country to ensure mutantkind's ascendancy around the world, I was reluctant to draw the ire of the Sailor Senshi just because of your thirst for payback."

Kizachi actually had the gall to fix him with an annoyed glare, or at least Magneto guessed it was from the way she grimaced at him. "Lehnsherr, as someone who also lashed out upon seeing his daughter cut down, you're the last one who should be lecturing me about this sort of thing. You and Mystique both need to learn the need for retribution isn't a privilege for just mutants." Magneto said nothing, merely letting his power flow. The flickering of the monitors behind Kizachi let her know she was on a dangerous path. It did little to cow her. "And here I thought being forthcoming about my daughter would earn me some measure of trust, Lehnsherr. I guess I was wrong. Must I reveal more about myself before you'll finally put aside your doubts about me?"

Magneto let the magnetic fields he was generating subside a little, though a couple of the monitors still blinked in and out. "What else is there you could tell me that you haven't bothered to already?"

"Things that would otherwise be foolish to talk about with someone who lived through the most hellish childhood imaginable," said Kizachi. "So yeah, my childhood wasn't exactly rainbows and ponies either, but for a different reason."

Magneto was a bit intrigued. "And that reason would be?"

"My family… The lineage of brilliant scientific minds started with, well, me. And now it'll end with me," said Kizachi. "I came from a family of mystics in the mountains, of shamans, who believed in spirituality, while from a young age I was drawn to the power of science instead. Power that could get tangible results. So it's no surprise there was a falling out and I went my own way. Maybe that's also part of the reason why I tolerate a screw-up like Gai. He had little patience for the rest of our family as well, which made him turn to the yakuza."

"My heart bleeds for you two, Erina," said Magneto dryly.

"It shouldn't," said Kizachi. "Some of the meditation and spiritual techniques I was forced to learn, they did wind up coming in handy."

"In what way?" asked Magneto, his curiosity now piqued.

Kizachi smiled again. "Didn't you ever wonder just _HOW_ the whole mess with me being 'commissioned' to build Sentinels by Masato Sanjoin went down?"

Suddenly, Magneto understood. "Ah, so you were one of his intended victims as well."

Kizachi nodded. "Indeed, Nephrite's usual modus operandi. Infuse a bit of my equipment with a youma of his while touring my corporate headquarters, posing as a potential investor. Fueling an obsession for creating the perfect fighting machine for his own use, while bringing my energy to its peak. And it was perhaps the one time his machinations didn't draw Sailor Moon's attention." There was no mistaking the acid bite in her voice. "Thankfully, I didn't need her anyway. I had enough presence of mind to eventually realize I was being played, and used the countermeasures passed down by my shaman ancestors. Dispatched the youma myself."

"And why are you telling me this now?" asked Magneto. "To convince me you have uses beyond your technical expertise, that you're far more than your everyday _Homo sapien_?"

"Oh, that should've been obvious already, Lehnsherr. I do have a mutation, just not on any X-gene. And though not as deleterious as uncontrollable optic blasts or leeching someone's life force through physical contact…" Kizachi stood up and removed her dark glasses, revealing eyes that looked like they belonged to a blind person. No, even more disturbing than that. They looked chalky, diseased. The reason Kizachi needed those glasses, and preferred working in darkness. Already, she was wincing in pain from what little light there was. "And no, I didn't think this shamanistic power would matter much to you. My greater faith in hard science, however…"

"Has proven quite valuable, I assure you," said Magneto. "These are perhaps the most advanced Sentinels one could create without reverse-engineering the ones that traveled back in time."

"It's not just that," said Kizachi. "It's how I've come to view the biological, not just the technological. Your kind, _Homo superior_ … All these debates that rage on, making it more complicated than it has to be, when anyone who understands science and history should see it's so, so simple."

"Simple, you say?" demanded Magneto. "What is it about what mutants face that's so simple?"

"Just that it's nature running its course again," said Kizachi. "Evolution simply marches on, and natural selection will come into play, as it has so many times before. To get flustered about your kind one day dominating the Earth would be like getting mad at a supervolcano bringing about nuclear winter. What's the point? It'll happen, regardless. That's why I relish the idea of using my Sentinels to bring about the exact opposite of their original function. To speed up the inevitable, rather than futilely try to impede destiny."

"Of course, you've discovered that one possible future involves Usagi Tsukino's destiny as inheritor of a kingdom from her past life," Magneto pointed out. "I take it your preference of hard science over mysticism extends to that?"

Kizachi smiled more broadly than ever. "See, we do understand each other, you and I. The thought of Tsukino ascending like that, when she's neglected so much already, failed so hard…" She put her glasses back on, covering up her sudden icy glare. "Maybe she will ultimately succeed, and perhaps achieve your old friend's dream for him, or maybe not. In any case, it changes nothing. If that can be thwarted and you rise to prominence in Sailor Moon's place, more power to you. If she does ultimately become Neo Queen Serenity, then at least here, now, I tear out a piece of her heart and make that pain last for an eternity. Either way, by sticking with you, I win. So that, more than anything else, should tell you you can trust me more than Mystique or any of your Acolytes."

As much as he hated to admit it, Kizachi made a lot of sense. "True, we stand to gain much working together. Just remember that, ultimately, I want Naru Osaka on my side. Now that the mutants of Japan will look to her as a fellow mutant who won't tolerate humanity's obstinance a moment longer, her joining me is more important than ever."

"Oh, I read you, Lehnsherr," said Kizachi. "Besides, what else could twist the knife harder than Tsukino seeing that happen?"

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Wow, this was definitely the breather chapter needed after a couple entries dedicated to balls-to-the-wall action. The part with Usagi's family needed special attention, since them finding out the truth must've been done to death in fanfics at this point, so I needed to make sure this time there was something unique about it. So that's why it went on so long. Then came the parts fleshing out Erina Kizachi's character a bit more. Plus, with her, the big hints I just dropped here in conjunction with some big hints dropped before… I wonder how much more obvious I can make it, what will ultimately become of this character. The hardcore Sailor Moon fans out there must have _**SOME**_ clue by now…

So long,

Grey-X


	23. Answer the Call

Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 23: Answer the Call

2-12-2018

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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Despite how the shrine was now occupied by more people than ever, there was a chill that hung in the air, which the rising sun did nothing to banish. As if the sobering sting of defeat they all felt – Senshi and X-Man alike – was heightened by everyone sticking around the shrine, not less, proving that misery truly loved company. The X-Men lost out on a potential new member, and the Senshi lost a good friend, possibly forever. This time, the X-Men couldn't steer a young, troubled mutant from a dark path. Likewise, the Sailor Senshi, who saved Naru from their enemies so many times, ultimately couldn't keep darkness from devouring their friend from within.

 _Worst of all,_ Haruka thought as she and Michiru climbed up the stairs, _this had to be what Magneto and especially Erina Kizachi were banking on, before moving on with their plan. Strike a blow at all of our hearts through Naru Osaka._ Despite knowing that on an intellectual level, it tore at Haruka's heart all the same. Haruka wondered why she wasn't just angry at Naru for viciously turning on the Senshi. She seemed determined to be their enemy now, so why spare a thought pitying her?

As they stepped up to the shrine, Haruka saw the reason why. Haruka caught a glimpse of Usagi's flowing twintails as she rushed through the shrine's front door. Yes, Naru's latest rampage was different. Whereas before Naru attacked the Senshi and X-Men out of self-defense, disguised as Eclipse, this time she chose to pick a fight with them all. Threaten Usagi's parents, ambush some of them before they could transform, kidnap her boyfriend and unleash her powers in the most violent, destructive ways possible.

Still, seeing how this all affected Usagi tempered Haruka's rage. Oh, she was still plenty angry with Naru for putting Usagi through this heartache. Not to mention pounding her and Michiru in the process. Yet somehow, a twinge of pity for Naru mingled with her fury. Naru wasn't some inhuman monster out to obliterate all life on the planet, just a girl with a horrible string of bad luck that led to horrifically bad decisions. Haruka aimed to make Naru own up to those bad decisions, but she wasn't thrilled about doing so.

Haruka stepped inside and peeked into the first room she came across. Usagi was there with Kitty, Lockheed perched on her shoulder. They were helping Usagi's family set up some things brought over from their home. Haruka scowled, not certain how to feel about this either. Actually, learning that Usagi _CHOSE_ to not have Cable and Xavier wipe their memories vexed Haruka quite a bit. With everything going on, the Senshi didn't need things complicated further!

 _What could have possessed her to throw away an opportunity to keep her identity a secret?_ Haruka wondered. _Then again, despite how Odango seems to think with her heart and not her head, her decisions tend to be the right ones. For one thing, this makes it easier to keep tabs on the Tsukinos, in case Magneto or Kizachi get any ideas…_

As Haruka watched, she couldn't help but notice the awkward tension between Usagi and her family, especially her mother. It was to be expected, after having this bombshell dropped in her lap in the midst of this crisis Magneto and Kizachi were manufacturing. Whether or not this decision was the right one, Haruka had to admit it took courage on Usagi's part, to not take the easy way out.

"I told you, Mama, I can't promise you'll know every time Sailor Moon is… needed to…" Usagi said, but trailed off. Haruka noticed Usagi spotted her out the corner of her eye. "Hang on a second, Mama," she said suddenly, rushing toward the door, leaving her flummoxed, frustrated mother behind.

"So, you and Michiru decided to stick around here, too?" Usagi asked, shutting the door behind her.

Haruka nodded dully. "Right now, I feel safer in this shrine than at our house. Less… metal, for one thing," Haruka said awkwardly. "Not to mention, I'm sure you'd like some extra pairs of eyes on your family until this blows over. If it ever does."

Usagi looked back at the door. "Yeah, I heard you weren't happy when they showed up. Another example of me not using my head, right?"

Haruka could tell Usagi was referring to more than just refusing to let Cable scrub their memories. "Usagi, no one's blaming you for what happened with Naru, or how she attacked all of us," she said quickly. "Naru made her own decisions. You did the best you could to reach her, but ultimately, she let her rage and grief rule her. From what I understand, that's what Xavier saw happen with Magneto. He doesn't blame himself for his former friend going bad. Neither should you."

Tears welled up in Usagi's eyes. "I figured you'd say something like that. B-B-B-But still… Naru going down this road is just what I've been afraid of! I thought I could keep Naru from doing that! I mean, Nephrite was about to turn before Zoisite's youma got him. And the Ayakashi Sisters, the Amazoness Quartet… Why couldn't we get through to our old friend!? Was Naru right!? Did we not pay enough attention to see things were getting so bad!?"

Haruka considered her answer carefully. Not too long ago, she would have vehemently shot that notion down. Being with Usagi had taught her a few things, though. "Maybe. Maybe this is what Kizachi was telling you about. Still, you can't feel guilty for what are ultimately Naru's decisions. She… got a taste of the darkness when she first put on that disguise and became Eclipse. You and the X-Men showed her she could be more, be something else, but... The lure of what she could do as Eclipse, unfettered… This may be who she truly is, just like Magneto, and there was nothing anyone could do for her in the end."

Haruka knew she said the wrong thing when those tears finally dribbled down Usagi's cheeks. "So at the end of the day, just focus on stopping the bad guys. That's how it always is, isn't it?" Usagi spat. "Is that all the Sailor Senshi are good for?"

"U-U-Usagi, what's that supposed to mean?" demanded Haruka, confused.

"I don't know, Haruka. I-I-I just thought, after meeting Xavier, hearing about what the X-Men are really like, their aim to make a world where humans and mutants can live in peace… Maybe it made me think the Sailor Senshi had the responsibility to try to do the same. Here, now. Not in a few centuries ruling from Crystal Tokyo." Usagi snorted to herself. "I'll say this, if this is Erina Kizachi's goal, to make me doubt myself long before I ever become queen, it's working. How can I guarantee a new era of peace when I couldn't even keep my friend from going down the same road as Magneto?"

This admission made Haruka's insides freeze. This girl had stood in her path time and time again, confident in her belief that the Sailor Senshi could thwart the Death Busters without what she saw as needless sacrifice. Now, that confidence was cracking, perhaps close to shattering. She didn't even react when Usagi pushed past her, still crying. "Don't worry, Haruka. When Naru shows up again, I won't hold back so much. It won't be a repeat of Mistress 9," Usagi spat. "I'll do my duty, but I won't have to like it…"

Still rooted to the spot, Haruka looked over her shoulder to watch her go. Suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of Erina Kizachi and Magneto was one thing. But now, to see the former's plans to break Usagi down were working…

Usagi could be horribly naïve, and stubborn at times, but she had long since proven her worth. That she was worth listening to. To see her so ready to give up, so close to surrendering to despair…

Haruka realized something had to be done, and fast, or their new enemies would surely win.

But mostly, at the moment, Haruka just wanted to do _SOMETHING_ …

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Naru flipping out affected all the X-Men, but in different ways. Nathan cursed himself for not doing more in case Naru went bonkers. Ororo wondered if she should've tried ending the fight much quicker with a lightning bolt, rather than use the ploy with that swiped chemical weapon. And like Hank and Xavier, she was trying to figure out just what went wrong. They all were looking forward to seeing Naru in their classes. Seeing her reject them so completely stung more than they would admit. Kitty was looking forward to having a new gal-pal to train up. Given that she could speak Japanese perfectly, Kitty probably thought she was the best to help Naru adapt to a new life in America.

Actually, that wasn't too far off from how Logan felt. After all, he always seemed to be taking some little lady under his wing. Kitty first of all, and later Jubilee. Logan could see the rage brewing within Naru, so much like his own. At first, he felt he could be a mentor in such a trying time, given how well he understood the Japanese. It could even be said he did the same when Rogue first joined the team. Logan remembered it like it was yesterday. Mainly because at the moment, he was pretty much doing the same thing as when he was forced to partner with Rogue. Namely, slap around some yakuza toughs until they coughed up answers.

Granted, he was doing it at a seedy bar known to be a yakuza hangout. In broad daylight, but Logan was in no mood to wait for darkness to fall. Days ago, he warned Charles against moving too slow in their investigation in Tokyo. He was righter than he knew. Mags's new buddy Erina Kizachi was moving at a dizzying pace, now that her scheme to slowly wear down Naru's sanity worked. Judging by what he gleaned from radio and television hours ago, the whole country was in a panic, wondering just how many more mutant kids would come out of the woodwork mad as hell. There was even talk of employing professional mercenary units, and Logan knew Kizachi's Sentinels wouldn't be far behind.

So digging further into Kizachi's yakuza connections could prove fruitful. Besides, what better way to take his mind off his troubles than tackling a dozen of their mooks at once?

One of them came rushing at Logan from behind, a chair raised over his head. As if that would do anything to a guy with adamantium-laced bones. Regardless, Logan ducked and swept his legs once he was in range. He toppled over painfully, and in one swift motion, Logan turned back around and sprang up at another thug closing in. Two claws on Logan's left hand popped out, both of them sliding past the sides of his neck.

"You and him attackin' when a guy's back is turned, bub?" Logan growled, his nose less than an inch from the terrified thug's. He just stood there, fearing that final claw would rip through his throat any second. "Did somethin' happen to everyone's adherence to honor since last time I was here in Japan?" With a roar, Logan grabbed him with his other hand and hurled him onto the bar counter, his neck still in between his popped claws. Now those claws sank into the wood, effectively pinning him.

"Now then, you an' me are gonna have words. I know you're in the same yakuza outfit this Gai Izumi slithered back into," Logan snarled, leaning closer. "So you must know some things. Namely, how he got your bosses to up the pressure on one Mayumi Osaka. And what he conned them into shippin' into the Land of the Rising Sun all these months. And if you know anythin' about Osaka gettin' poisoned. And where I can find that little weasel Izumi."

Of course, this thug would probably prove as tight-lipped as the rest, but it was worth a try. Anything that could point them to where Kizachi was assembling her death machines was welcome. And if there was any hope of winning back Naru's trust, solving her mother's murder could go a long way.

"I-I-I-I cannot tell you anything!" blubbered the thug. "I-I-If I betray anything, my superiors will kill me!"

Logan sighed, expecting no less. Thankfully, he had a reputation in these parts, and he knew how to exploit it. "Fine then. You just gotta ask yourself who you should be more afraid of. Your bosses, or the 'gaijin'…" He let his middle claw emerge a little bit, just enough to poke skin and draw some blood. The thug yelped in surprise and fear, every ounce of willpower needed not to wiggle around and risk making that claw tip puncture his throat.

Fortunately for him, he soon received a reprieve. There was one other thug Logan hadn't quite beaten thoroughly enough into submission. He charged at Logan from behind, brandishing a baseball bat. Though he said nothing, Logan could easily hear his approach. Sighing again, Logan twisted around, popping the claws on his other hand. They sliced the bat in two, and in the split-second the thug was stunned, Logan grabbed him by the hair and slammed his face onto the counter.

Logan watched him hit the floor, blood oozing from his broken nose. However, in the brief instant Logan's attention was elsewhere, the pinned thug worked up the courage to shove him off. Now freed from Logan's claws, he bolted for the door. Logan shook his head, about to give chase. But as soon as the thug stepped through the front door, he doubled over, as if hit hard in the gut.

"Who in the…" Logan began, but fell silent upon seeing Sailor Uranus grab the thug by the throat and push him back into the bar. Sailor Neptune followed her in, a look of impatience and disgust etched on her face.

Uranus picked him up by the neck and slammed him down onto a table. "Now then, I believe you were trying to leave without answering the questions this nice little man asked you so politely," Uranus snarled. Neptune said nothing. Instead, she glanced around at all the thugs Logan knocked out, before turning her gaze back to the one Uranus was choking.

Logan snorted. "Can't remember the last time the adjective 'nice' was used to describe little ol' me," he grumbled. "What're you two doing here, anyway? Thought I made it clear I prefer to do this sort o' thing alone."

"You're not the only one familiar with Japan's underworld, Logan," said Uranus.

"And you're not the only one itching to actually do something, to vent some frustration," added Neptune frostily. "Besides, our teams are supposed to be working together, correct? What say we actually _DO_ that?" Meanwhile, the thug looked wide-eyed from Uranus to Logan and back. As if he couldn't process the terrible notion of the gaijin _AND_ the Sailor Senshi coming down hard on his yakuza clan, not after the havoc Eclipse caused. Neptune noticed this, and pounced. "As for you, I trust that being stuck between my partner and the 'gaijin', you'll be a bit more cooperative."

"Hey you bimbo, like I told this freak, I cannot say anything!" the thug spat back.

All this did was make Uranus clamp down on his throat tighter. "This 'freak', insufferable as he can be, has earned my respect. For one thing, he's more durable in a fight than you'll ever be, I'll wager. Watch your tongue around him _AND_ my partner, got it!?"

Neptune just let it roll off her back, her frosty calm returning. She strolled over to the table and bent over a little. "You're worried about betraying your boss's trust, losing face, not just your life. Admirable, but a bit misplaced. By now, it should be obvious that Gai Izumi has been playing you all. Weaseling his way back into the fold, only to coax your clan into prodding a hornet's nest. A ticking time bomb of mutant DNA that blew up in your faces, while his aunt sits back and laughs at your clan's plight."

"Lady's got a point, bub," said Logan. "Whatever that punk conned you into doin', it was obviously meant to backfire on all of ya."

Logan could see it in the thug's eyes. Between the fear of him and Neptune's gentle prodding, he was starting to crack. Neptune must have seen it too, and pressed on. "I'm sure you'll be forgiven for sharing information about current yakuza activities if it means that Gai Izumi, and the one he was truly working for, are made to pay for their misdeeds. This is one instance where the 'gaijin' would actually be doing your clan a favor." He cast a sideways glance at Logan, who simply stared back coldly.

"Let me make this simpler," said Uranus, pulling out her Space Sword. She slowly brought it up to the thug's face, the tip pressing up inside one nostril. "You _WILL_ be talking to someone before leaving here, that much is certain. But for the moment, you've got a choice. You either talk to Neptune and I, and I may or may not practice carving calligraphy into your skin with one blade, singular. Or you get to talk to Wolverine again, who's got _SIX_ razor-sharp adamantium claws thirsty for your blood."

When the thug looked back to him, Logan decided to play along. He popped both sets of claws, making a show of scraping them together.

"Oh, and like Uranus said, this is a limited-time offer," added Neptune. She held up three fingers. "And it expires in three… two…"

"YOU WIN, YOU WIN! I'LL TALK, I'LL TALK!" the thug shrieked, still struggling in Uranus's iron grip.

Neptune smiled down at the thug, then looked up to Logan, still beaming. "See how much easier this is when we work together? This must be the sort of amicable cooperation the princess wanted to see, right?"

Logan sighed as he sheathed his claws. "Fine, whatever. OK punk, let's hear where Gai Izumi's been shacking up."

"I-I-I don't know that," he said quickly. Uranus pressed her sword up against his face harder, yet it didn't draw blood. "I'M TELLING THE TRUTH! Soon after the gaijin and his mutant horde fought you Senshi at the shipyard, he just disappeared! B-B-By the way, why are you Senshi working with the gaijin, anyway? W-W-What's…"

"None of your concern," said Neptune coolly. "What about Mayumi Osaka? Do you know anything about her poisoning? Someone in your clan trying to get to her daughter, perhaps?"

"No. I know of nothing of the sort being ordered, or even talked about," he said. "Such a thing, accidentally killing her to get to her freak daughter would be… dishonorable anyway."

 _That doesn't completely rule out Izumi's clan, but at least I'm finally getting somewhere,_ Logan thought. Maybe it was easy to forgive Naru since he could handle getting slapped around by her, but Logan still felt he owed Naru answers. He promised her mother would be protected. Having failed that, he'd settle for getting Naru justice, no matter what else she had to now answer for. "What about shipping in tech for the client Izumi hooked you up with? And how he convinced your bosses to lean on Osaka even harder?" demanded Uranus.

The thug tried to steady his breathing. Clearly, this was something he could divulge. "I-I-I don't know much. B-B-But if you can guarantee that snake Izumi and whoever he was truly serving all this time will pay, I will tell all I know…"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As the sun continued its trek across the sky, it did nothing to warm Usagi's face. She wandered aimlessly on the grounds right outside the shrine. For half the night, she had stayed up explaining everything there was to know about Sailor Moon to her family. That was it, no more secrets, no more deception going forward. Some said things got easier when the truth was laid bare. Perhaps, but laying it all out, admitting she had kept this from them all, was more painful than Usagi imagined. Worse, Usagi could sense a rift now with her family. They would never look at her the same way again. Who would they see from this point on, when they looked at her? Just the bumbling, crybaby schoolgirl, or the superhero liable to get herself killed?

 _Nothing will ever be the same again,_ Usagi realized as she walked around the back of the shrine. _This time, we had to get other superheroes to help us fight off an enemy, my family doesn't really know what to make of me being Sailor Moon, and Naru…_ Usagi immediately had to blink back tears. The way Naru came after her, unloading all her pent-up fury, showing in no uncertain terms that their friendship was over…

Worse still, that merely served as a microcosm for what was going on in Japan. The whole country just saw one of the most powerful mutants of a new generation go berserk, her faith in humanity shattered. Would other mutants her age follow her lead? Decide they had enough? And just how much more terrified would this make everyone else in Japan?

 _Probably scared enough so that Kizachi will have all the excuse she needs to use her Sentinels,_ Usagi realized, ice clawing at her heart. She remembered seeing that other mutant girl hauled off while everyone but Haruna Sakurada was cheering. Things were bound to get worse. _It's like… what would Ami call it? A positive feedback… ringaround something something…_

It was then that Usagi thought she heard Ami's voice. Looking up, she saw her walking back toward the shrine, talking with Dr. McCoy. For once, Usagi was envious of more than Ami's intellect. She still clearly got a thrill working with her idol. Not to mention, despite the bombshell she dropped in her father's lap, he still had that interview with McCoy to look forward to. Over the years, perhaps McCoy picked up some wisdom beyond his scientific genius, and it was rubbing off on others. If so, Usagi wanted in.

"I think we're making headway on pinpointing weaknesses in this new Sentinel design, at least," said McCoy.

"Let's just hope Kizachi doesn't make any modifications after her little field test," said Ami darkly. Clearly, a good deal still weighed on her.

"True hope is swift, and flies on swallow's wings…" McCoy began.

"Kings it makes gods, and meaner creatures kings," Ami finished. "Trouble is, Kizachi could be one of those 'meaner creatures' Shakespeare was talking about. She must have some perverse sense of hope to let her scheme this long, plan so far ahead…" Indeed, the way Naru went after her too, vented to her face, cut Ami deeply as well.

"Perhaps. But even meaner creatures such as Nathaniel Essex and En Sabah Nur have schemed for even longer, and the X-Men thwarted them both," McCoy pointed out kindly. "And this time, the X-Men have powerful allies in the field."

"That's… a good way to look at it. We'll have another look at the scan data tomorrow," said Ami, shaking his hand. Then McCoy began his trek back to the Blackbird, while Ami turned and spotted Usagi there for the first time. "Oh, Usagi, I didn't see you there. Is everything… alright with your family now?"

"As alright as can be, given all the craziness going on," said Usagi.

Ami sighed. "I guess you're right. I don't know how you worked up the courage to let them in on all this. I've been deathly afraid of my mother learning I'm Sailor Mercury. We see so little of each other, I wouldn't want something like this to put a bigger wedge between us."

"I just… saw how much pain keeping secrets can cause," said Usagi. Ami's face darkened, knowing exactly what Usagi was talking about.

"Trouble is, spilling secrets can cause some pain, too," came Mamoru's voice suddenly. The two girls turned to see him walking up to them, Luna in his arms.

"Mamoru? What're you doing out here with Luna?" asked Usagi.

"Mostly keeping my distance from, well… Let's just say your father still isn't sold on us having a daughter one day," Mamoru said anxiously.

"Other than that, I think things are as good as can be expected after you decided to reveal everything," said Luna. There was no stinging disapproval in the cat's voice, but still, Usagi could tell she wasn't particularly happy about Usagi's choice. "Your family is where we can keep a close eye on them, and they understand the danger to an extent."

"Luna, _I_ don't really understand the danger this time. Then again, I never did," said Usagi. Tears welled up again. "Back when this all started, if it wasn't for you, telling me what I had to do… Please Luna, tell me you've got some idea of what Sailor Moon is supposed to do this time! Even if we do smash all these Sentinels, what's to stop people in Japan from trying something else to stamp out mutants!?"

Luna hopped down from Mamoru's arms. "Usagi, I-I-I-I… I don't have any easy answers for you. This sort of thing, it's not what the Sailor Senshi are meant for. We're supposed to protect mankind from threats they otherwise would have no hope of combating. What's going on now, with the tension building in Japan, mankind itself will eventually have to sort it out."

"So that's it. I guess Kizachi wins," Usagi spat, still crying. "Someone's finally figured out how to wreck this country without having to worry about Sailor Moon coming in and nuking them all…"

"Absolutely not, Odango," came Haruka's voice suddenly. Usagi turned to see Haruka walking up to them. "I'm not about to stand aside and let that scrawny little psychopath have her way. I'm not about to let _YOU_ stand aside and let Kizachi have her way."

"H-H-Haruka? What're you…" Usagi began, but Haruka grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and hoisted her up to her face.

"Where's the proud girl with convictions so strong, she tanked my attack and Michiru's to shield Hotaru? Where's _THAT_ Sailor Moon, Usagi!?" Haruka shouted in her face. "Where's the princess that showed Michiru and I we still had a thing or two to learn!? _THAT'S_ the Sailor Moon, the leader, we need right now! I refuse to believe one ordinary woman, no matter how brilliant, figured out how to take that Sailor Moon away from us!"

Mamoru grabbed Haruka's wrists, forcing her to set Usagi down. "That's quite enough of that," he spat. "Now then, was there a point to those theatrics?"

"Maybe I don't have everything out of my system yet," Haruka relented, shutting her eyes. "I figured helping our favorite gaijin force some answers from some bottom-feeders would let me blow off enough steam, but… Forget it, that's not what's important."

"Then what is important, pray tell?" scoffed Luna.

"That Logan finally found information of use," said Haruka. "It'll get us all closer to the heart of Kizachi's operations, but in the meantime…" Haruka looked around. Usagi wasn't quite sure what she was wary of now. Perhaps she didn't wish to be overheard by any others?

"In the meantime… What?" demanded Ami.

"Inside, all of you. Michiru's gathered the rest of the Senshi. I don't want any of the X-Men, or Usagi's family, hearing about this," hissed Haruka. Doubt grew within Usagi. The X-Men were their only real hope of stopping Kizachi and Magneto. Why shut them out now? Usagi looked to Mamoru, who merely shrugged his shoulders and followed Haruka back toward the shrine. Ami and Luna eventually relented as well, leaving Usagi little choice but to follow herself.

"So… Really Haruka, what's this about?" Usagi finally worked up the courage to say as she followed her into Rei's room. As Haruka said, the rest of the Senshi were waiting inside, uncertainty etched on their faces, even Michiru's.

"To be honest, I don't know," Haruka admitted. "Like you admitted to Luna, I'm clueless about what we should do as well. All I know is that we _MUST_ do something, and that ultimately, _YOU_ must decide what that is. I've grown to respect you too much to let you crumble now, Odango."

"In any case… Mamoru, you once worked in a television studio, correct?" Michiru asked suddenly.

Mamoru looked over to her, flummoxed. "Why, yes, I did. But what's that got to do with anything?"

"It means you know you're way around one, how things are run," said Michiru. "Haruka and I, we've got, well, half a plan between us. But it will take all the Senshi working together."

"And none of the X-Men interfering," added Haruka. "If any of them get a whiff of what we're cooking up, they'll try to talk us out of it."

"Something tells me they'd be right to," said Luna dryly. "Given the track record you two have…"

"Which is why at the end of the day, it can't be _OUR_ plan," said Michiru. "It must be Usagi who signs off and puts it in motion."

"Puts what in motion?" demanded Usagi. "A TV studio, w-w-w-why would I…"

"Usagi, remember how I said it's pure idiocy to bet against Sailor Moon?" Rei cut in.

Usagi blinked in surprise. She still couldn't wrap her head around how Rei actually bet she would finish Xavier's book. "W-W-Well yeah, but…"

"Well, Kizachi isn't exactly an idiot. She knew what she was doing," Rei went on. "She didn't plan to deal with the Ginzuishou being fired at her. She was more concerned with breaking the person who wields it. What she was counting on was undercutting your true strength."

"W-W-Which is?" Usagi asked hesitantly.

"Something that can make even cynics like Haruka and I realize we have a thing or two to learn," said Michiru.

"Naru's turned her back on us, but we're not about to turn our backs on her, or the rest of her kind," said Artemis. "Usagi, you have a way of making people believe things aren't as hopeless as they seem. That's what Kizachi and Magneto may fear the most."

"They're intent on causing enough strife in Japan to spark a genetic civil war," said Michiru. "They know that if anyone can brink Japan back from the brink, through sheer force of will, it's you."

"So that's why you're asking Mamoru about the inner workings of a television studio," said Luna. "You aim to get Sailor Moon in front of a camera, so she can plead her case to the whole country."

"That's the 'half a plan' I was talking about," said Michiru. "What we do next, well, I have no idea. Haruka and I aren't in the habit of thinking too deeply about what comes after a mission is complete."

"But you, who's to become our queen… That's why it has to be your call, Odango. You're our leader. We need you to lead us if we go through with this," said Haruka.

Usagi stood there gaping at the two Outer Senshi, gobsmacked. It wasn't like she was the greatest at crafting long-term strategies, either. There was a reason just about everyone could thump her in a game of chess. It was hard enough to be the leader when running around blasting away bad guys. This was completely uncharted territory for her.

As she stood there, trying to make sense of it all, Ami spoke up. "I say we do it."

Usagi gaped at Ami, more confused than ever. "Ami, just like that? You say we jump in and…"

"It's… something Berthier told me, the last time we played chess," said Ami. "About the need to sometimes _NOT_ overthink things, and make a bold move when it looks hopeless. I think now is one of those times."

"Well, if one of the _Ayakashi Sisters_ approves…" grumbled Luna.

"Come on, Luna! Berthier's probably right!" snapped Ami. "Usually, the Sailor Senshi have to protect humanity from some sort of external threat. But the threat's not just from Magneto and Kizachi's Sentinels. The out-of-control fear and suspicion in men's hearts are letting this happen. We can't just blow something up and expect things to get better this time. This time, we have to make our case to the people, like you said."

"I'm in too." Makoto stood up off of Rei's bed. "Anything's better than just sitting around and waiting to find out where those Sentinels are. Let's make some noise in the meantime, throw a wrench in the works…"

"Yeah! If Kizachi thinks she's broken Usagi's spirit, let's prove her wrong!" Minako chimed in. "Plaster Sailor Moon's face on as many TV screens as possible! _THAT'LL_ piss her off real good!"

"And maybe, just maybe, Naru will finally see we won't turn our backs on her. Ever," added Chibiusa solemnly.

Usagi looked to them all, dumbstruck by the expectant looks in all their eyes. They truly thought of her as their leader, one and all, even the Outer Senshi and Rei. And they expected her to step up again, to do this crazy thing, try to save the people of Japan from themselves. Doubt still plagued her, though, and it would have been enough to squelch whatever hope might have remained, had Chibiusa not thrown in that last bit.

Naru, once her best friend. Now an unwitting pawn for Erina Kizachi, to hurt her in the cruelest way possible. If there was any hope of undoing it all, to keep Naru's heart from turning completely dark, they had to do something. Something crazy, something unexpected. Go to extreme lengths to prove Naru and everyone else wrong. The Sailor Senshi would be there, always.

"Then before we get around to punishing the bad guys in the name of the Moon," said Usagi weakly, "maybe we get to the love and justice part first."

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At the closest television station, it was a beehive of activity, in preparation for the nightly news. Not only on the set, but elsewhere. Thankfully, one of the places where there wasn't an overabundance of people was the electrical room, which was arguably the Sailor Senshi's most important target.

Still, the workers that lingered had to be dealt with. Jupiter let Venus handle most of it, since she was the stealthier one. Bashing some faces in… She would save it for those who truly deserved it. The Sailor Senshi weren't here for that sort of thing. Rather, this was a desperate ploy to get through a lot of thick skulls, _WITHOUT_ cracking them wide open.

One last worker in the electrical room was walking by, so Sailor Jupiter ducked behind a column. Dark as it was down here, the white of her fuku would stand out. He was calling out to his co-workers, wondering just where the hell all of them went to. Jupiter peeked out from behind cover just as Venus snuck up behind him. He wasn't exactly a little guy, but the shock of being grabbed from behind, a hand clamped over his throat, bought Venus the time needed for her sleeper hold to do its job.

"That's the last of them," said Venus as she dragged the unconscious worker out of the way. "And by now, Mercury and Mars must be in position to take the control room. Now we can get you hooked up, Jupiter, and the rest of the mission is a-go."

"Something tells me I'm not gonna like this," grumbled Jupiter as she walked over to Venus. Venus was already ripping into electrical boxes, pulling out wires. "When the Outers talked Sailor Moon into this crazy idea of getting our side of the story out, being turned into a living electrical generator wasn't what I pictured doing."

"Know any other way to boost the power so that the feed cuts into everything, gets Sailor Moon's face on just about every TV screen in the city?" Venus scoffed as she pulled out another sheaf of wires. "Come on over here. The sooner you're jacked in, the better."

"You sure you remember which wires Tuxedo Kamen and Mercury said needed to be latched on to my person?" asked Jupiter as she hesitantly walked over. "I don't want to short out the whole building. Or myself. Or burn us all down."

That cheery, optimistic smile on Venus's face did not vanish. "C'mon, Jupiter, no sense worrying. Besides, as they say, nothing ventured, nothing sprained."

Jupiter's face fell. "Uh, I think you meant 'gained', not sprained…"

"Oh, they say that too," said Venus dismissively as she slid a vest onto Jupiter. Something Ami and Mamoru threw together in less than an hour, literally with spare parts Haruka had back at her house. Theoretically, it would help channel the electrical energy of her attacks so that once the others secured the studio floor, the signal would be powerful enough to overpower all others.

Jupiter was a bit nervous about the 'theoretically' part.

Venus hummed to herself as she attached another sheaf of wires. At least she was keeping her spirits up. Perhaps it was because the Sailor Senshi were finally ready to _DO_ something. Not wait around until someone figured out where those Sentinels were being slapped together. Not putting out brushfires set off by Kizachi's machinations, like Naru going nuts. No, it was time to tackle the heart of the matter. The bad guys' plans all hinged on passions boiling over. If Usagi could perform her usual miracle, truly get through to people's hearts, that could possibly do worse damage than if they wiped out every single one of Kizachi's Sentinels overnight.

Still, Jupiter had doubts. As she tried to tell Naru, she was no stranger to being alienated because of how others feared her. Being on the receiving end of such prejudice tended to make one a tad pessimistic about people's better angels.

 _Then again, that's not how Usagi rolls,_ Jupiter reminded herself. _Come to think of it, neither do the X-Men. They've been through way worse abuse, and somehow they still believe their kind can coexist with the rest of humanity. Granted, at the moment, they probably wouldn't approve of how we aim to bring that about..._ But Venus had a point. There was no sense worrying. Now, finally, there was a chance to act. "Any day now, Venus," muttered Jupiter. "If I have to risk bringing this whole building down on top of us, let's just get it over with."

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Meanwhile, on the studio floor, preparations were still being made for the nightly news broadcast. They were all completely oblivious to what was going on in the electrical room. As far as any of them were concerned, tonight was a night like any other, though with plenty of material to cover. Doubtless they were going to cover the rising tensions thanks to anti-mutant hysteria, and in such a way to exacerbate the problem, either inadvertently or by design.

For better or worse, tonight viewers were going to get a different take on the situation. Unfortunately for the news anchors and the television crew, that meant nudging them out of the way.

It began when the crews operating the cameras and the lighting noticed something odd. Namely, a purplish-black ball with a cat's face and ears. It rolled into the middle of the studio floor, in between two camera stands. When one of the camera operators bent down to look at it, curious, it sprayed out a pinkish gas that knocked him out, and everyone else in the vicinity. The ball sucked the gas back in almost as quickly as it released it, though this meant that the news anchors themselves, along with their aides, weren't exposed long enough to be affected.

As they gaped fearfully at the gaggle of snoozing studio workers, the ball rolled toward the set. But then, its trajectory veered away. Those still conscious watched as it rolled up to a pair of small, pink boots. They gasped as Sailor Chibi-Moon picked up the ball, smirking, then bounced it off the floor. With a puff of smoke, it transformed into what looked like a flare gun. Chibi-Moon aimed it at the news anchors and their aides, still smirking. "Over there, please," she said calmly, motioning with her gun where to step aside.

Too nonplussed and fearful to refuse, they all trudged away from the set, watching Chibi-Moon and her gun anxiously. But then, their gazes went back up as more of Chibi-Moon's team arrived. Sailor Moon stepped close to the set, flanked by Tuxedo Kamen, Uranus and Neptune. They could also see Mars and Mercury now in the control room, the latter hooking her computer into the studio's systems.

Tuxedo Kamen went past the others, toward the cameras. He immediately got to work, readjusting settings and hooking up a different set of wires to one of them. "How long is this going to take, Tuxedo Kamen?" spat Uranus impatiently. "The studio's security won't be oblivious forever."

"Don't rush me, don't rush me," grumbled Tuxedo Kamen as he continued to adjust the camera.

"Uranus is right, though. The sooner we're done, the better," said Neptune. "Our aim is to complete our task without…"

There was a loud BANG, and they all turned to look down at Chibi-Moon. She had just fired her weapon. Fortunately, when they looked over to the staff huddled in the corner, they saw that Luna-P was now just a net launcher. Now they were all lumped together tightly in a ball, hopelessly trapped in a taut net.

"What? One of them looked ready to try something," Chibi-Moon protested when they all glared back at her.

Sailor Moon sighed. "Nice way to show everyone else we haven't gone bad ourselves, Chibi-Moon," muttered Sailor Moon irascibly.

"A good number will brand us villains no matter how we handle ourselves in this studio," Uranus pointed out. "There's no turning back now. So turn that frown upside-down, Sailor Moon. You're going live."

Sailor Moon nodded dully, then slowly made her way onto the set. To think, she once dreamed of being on television, of being a star. A perfect example of being careful what you wish for. Those times seemed so distant now, when she would talk about that sort of thing with Naru. Hopes and dreams, the innocence of her earlier years, carefree times with her friend…

Sailor Moon shook her head. No, she couldn't afford to be lost in despair now. That's not the Sailor Moon people needed to see on their television screens. Sailor Uranus was right about _WHICH_ Sailor Moon was needed now. And what she needed to tell the people of Japan.

"We're all set in here," came Mars's voice, carried over the intercom from the control room. Mercury punched something into her computer, then looked up and nodded to Sailor Moon. "OK, Jupiter, it's up to you. Let 'er rip!"

The lights dimmed for a moment, and Sailor Moon could feel the whole studio rumble a bit. Not to mention, she swore she could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She looked back to the window to the control room. Mercury gave a thumbs-up, meaning their ploy worked.

Looking ahead, Sailor Moon saw Tuxedo Kamen swerve the camera to face her. Also, Uranus and Neptune readied a series of poster boards. Everything she was going to say on camera was written in advance, for which Sailor Moon was grateful. She sure didn't trust herself to come up with what to say on the fly, even though Uranus and Tuxedo Kamen insisted that speaking from the heart was what was needed.

"OK, Sailor Moon, this is it," said Tuxedo Kamen. "You're live in three, two, one… GO!"

Sailor Moon took a deep breath, and read from the first poster Uranus held up. "Good evening, people of Tokyo. I don't think I have to tell you who I am. Sometimes you may hear me refer to myself as a guardian of love and justice. But with what's going on today, I've started to seriously think about what it means to be just that. You may not understand what it is that I do, what sort of enemies I protect people from, but I've been shown a good deal of trust all the same. And in all this time, I've never asked for anything in return. But now, there's something very important I need from all of you. I need you to open your hearts and listen very, very carefully…"

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Even while on the other side of Tomoyo's huge room, Kero's shouts as he kept at whatever video game he was playing could be heard loud and clear. This was usually the case whenever they visited Tomoyo. Typically, he only stopped when sweets were served.

Then again, at the moment, Tomoyo was proving even _MORE_ annoying. After that girl Naru Osaka went on a rampage, Tomoyo wouldn't shut up, thinking aloud about whether or not Sakura Kinomoto should go after her using the Power Card. Who would prove stronger? If she could shrug off attacks from the Sailor Senshi, could this mutant girl also resist the power of elemental cards like Windy and Fiery? And of course, Tomoyo talked about catching all the action on film.

"Of course, if you're going after Naru Osaka, I'll have to sew up a new costume for you," beamed Tomoyo. "It would have to be something special. After all, you've never used your cards to go after a mutant before…"

"And I told you, I don't plan to!" snapped Sakura. "Capturing the Clow Cards was one thing. Chasing after mutants going bonkers… That's what the Sailor Senshi are here for, right? Let them handle it."

"But she got away from them, and the X-Men too," Tomoyo pointed out. "If they can't find her, maybe we should try. And oh, the footage I could get of a mutant in action…"

"No way, Tomoyo. I don't want you in a five kilometer radius of Eclipse," said Sakura quickly. From what Sakura heard, Naru absolutely hated normal humans now, blaming them all for the death of her mother. She had gone from rescuing people trapped on a monorail car to terrorizing them all.

And the worst part was, Sakura could kind of empathize with Eclipse, having lost her own mother. Nothing about this girl before she got mutant powers made it look like she'd ever flip out like this. Were mutants just bad people in general? It seemed silly to think that, and when Sakura asked her father why everyone hated mutants so much, he said it was complicated.

Lots of things were complicated, but to Sakura, persecuting people for how they were born… But how to solve this, to keep mutants like Eclipse from going off the deep end? Tomoyo was adamant that she use her cards to do something, but what? At the end of the day, she was still just a kid. How was she supposed to solve a worldwide problem like this?

"But Sakura, this would be your most insane adventure yet!" Tomoyo protested. "As your friend, I simply must…"

"I'm telling you Tomoyo, there's nothing I can do," said Sakura. "If Eclipse and her boyfriend disappeared like that, they don't want to be found. Let them be. Besides, this is bigger than one Japanese mutant going crazy. How am I supposed to…"

An infuriated cry from Kero cut Sakura off. The two girls rushed over to the television set. "Kero, what's wrong?" asked Tomoyo.

"Something's wrong with your TV!" cried Kero. "I was just about to get the high score, but then…" Suddenly the static faded, and Sakura gasped. There, on the television, was Sailor Moon herself!? The three of them watched in stunned silence as Sailor Moon began to speak. "Hold on, is that really her? How'd this cut into my game? What's going on!?" demanded Kero.

"She… wants something from us?" Tomoyo wondered aloud.

"You have every right to be scared of mutants like Magneto, and for more reasons than you think," said Sailor Moon. The way she delivered all this, so confidently… Sakura wondered if she ever came off as half that confident when dealing with the weirdness in her life. "What's going on in Japan right now is exactly what both supervillains like Magneto and people who hate his kind want. Trying to start a war between mutants and the rest of humanity, believing it's inevitable. And they don't care how many innocent lives get caught in the crossfire. And to make it _LOOK_ like a war is the only solution, they'll play on our basest emotions, the worst parts of ourselves. Stoking our despair and our fears. That's why this time, the Sailor Senshi can't save the world on our own. I need all of you to think long and hard, with your hearts as well as your heads…"

Tomoyo and Kero watched on in shocked silence. As for Sakura, as Sailor Moon went on, she succeeded where Tomoyo failed. Sailor Moon convinced her that she had to do something. That she _COULD_ do something.

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Night had fallen, and something told Yusuke Urameshi that it was time to hit the beat. How weird it still felt. Him, the infamous juvenile delinquent, out on patrol with his team, like a bunch of cops. Or, more accurately, detectives.

To heighten the irony, when he glanced at the window of a shop along the street, his slicked-backed hair really stood out in his reflection. He could easily be mistaken as some youth recruited into a yakuza clan. Not that he ever needed such strength behind him to make poor sods piss their pants. And besides, being in such a clan basically meant you had a target on your back these days, with that weirdo mutant girl Naru Osaka landing scores of them in the hospital.

 _Of course, now that chick's got extra reason to be pissed, seeing how one of those yakuza jokers probably poisoned her mother,_ Yusuke mused. _If any of 'em tried that shit with my mother, I'd beat their asses too! And I ain't the only one…_ Yusuke looked over to Kurama. Compared to what Kurama had done to fools who threatened his 'mother', what Naru Osaka did was downright merciful.

Where did Eclipse disappear to, anyway? Would she ever be back? Yusuke was always up for a good fight, but tackling that girl wasn't exactly something he was eager to do. Thankfully, none of his cases his team was on pointed to her, or any of her fellow mutants.

Mutants… Yusuke wasn't sure what to make of them. He was ostracized most of his life because of his actions, his own decisions. He was a bruiser, and proud of it. But mutants didn't ask to be born with those weirdo powers, the trouble they could cause. To be hounded like that girl because of the way she was born, even when trying to do good? Having to practice with powers of his own made Yusuke empathize with Eclipse further.

As Yusuke mulled over the whole 'mutant problem', he heard Hiei say, "Hey, since when did that broad get her own show?"

"What broad?" demanded Kuwabara. "Hang on, is that really her? On TV!?"

Yusuke stopped in his tracks and turned around. They just passed a shop with televisions in the window. On each one, Sailor Moon's face was plastered, speaking to them all. "If things don't change, things will get worse, and a war that could destroy everything we hold dear _WILL_ happen," she said pleadingly. "Look at what's happened with Naru Osaka, someone very, very dear to me. All she wanted was to protect her mother from gangsters, and didn't hesitate to save complete strangers, even if it meant outing herself as a mutant. And how was she repaid? She was shut out, spat upon, and then someone took her mother from her. Well, we saw what that led to, didn't we? How many more young mutants are we going to drive into the arms of people like Magneto, just because they're born different?"

None of the four said anything as Sailor Moon went on, merely listening. With the way Sailor Moon laid it all out, given how this involved the corruption of human spirits… Even if there was nothing supernatural going on, they knew this was still their concern.

Meanwhile, unnoticed by the four, a girl was standing behind them, wearing a yellow sundress. A hat with a wide brim partially hid her smirking face, but not her long, turquoise hair. She watched Sailor Moon's message in silence along with the boys. Until, suddenly, she shot straight up into the air, flying into the night sky and out of sight.

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It was just a normal evening at the Tendo dojo. So normal that, once again, Happosai was chasing Ranma after dousing him with cold water, transforming him into his female self. Eventually, Ranma got fed up and stood his ground, tackling the sleazy old man in midair. This sent them tumbling into the living room where everyone was watching television. Whatever was on, it had everyone's undivided attention. They didn't even blink at their sudden intrusion. Eventually, however, Akane put an end to the fight by bringing down her heavy, wooden mallet onto both their heads.

"Will you two knock it off!?" huffed Akane. "This sounds important!"

"Damnit, what sounds so important!?" groaned Ranma, looking at the television. He didn't know what to expect, but he sure hadn't anticipated seeing Sailor Moon on the evening news. There was a determined, yet pleading, look in the girl's eyes, speaking solemnly to them all.

"Oooooh, what a cutie!" croaked Happosai. "Is she asking us to join her to save the world? I'm game, if it means…"

No one got to hear what Happosai expected in return, not after Ranma grabbed him by his head and chucked him through a wall. With that annoyance out of the way, he could focus on whatever it was Sailor Moon was on television for.

"We've seen what happens in other countries when fear and bigotry against mutants rages out of control. Sentinels marching through the streets would just be the beginning," said Sailor Moon. "I refuse to believe the country I've defended for so long is going down the same road. I won't let it happen, but I can't stop it alone. How many of you feel the same way I do? Are there enough to you who refuse to give in to fear? And more importantly, are there any willing to stand with us?" she went on, pointing at the screen.

Everyone else in the dojo seemed confused about what to make of Sailor Moon's pitch to the people of Tokyo. Ranma, on the other hand, was intrigued. He looked down at himself, at the very big reminder that he himself was different, thanks to his Jusenkyo curse. He learned to live with it, albeit reluctantly, yet mutants had a much rougher time with the abilities they were cursed with at birth. Sailor Moon was asking for help, to stop things from getting worse until it was all-out war. As if daring those brave and noble enough to fight alongside her.

Ranma looked back up to the television, smirking. His father wanted him to push his martial arts training further, didn't he? What better opportunity, or better cause, would present itself than coming to the aid of Sailor Moon to stop a war?

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One would think that after returning from their second trip to Cephiro, life would return to some semblance of normalcy for the three Magic Knights. Of course, in hindsight, that was wishful thinking. Well before that fateful day at Tokyo Tower, the Sailor Senshi and whatever weirdo enemies they fought had already started appearing. And sightings of the Senshi fighting yet more weirdo creatures continued for some time, well after returning from saving Cephiro from annihilation. Now, mutants were thrown into the mix.

Umi Ryuuzaki sighed as she walked through her family's mansion, carrying a tray of snacks back to her bedroom. Fuu and Hikaru were spending the night, and they were fixing to watch a movie. Naturally, the three of them stayed close, to the point that Umi insisted she go to Hikaru and Fuu's school after passing her entrance exams.

In the meantime, current events weighed on their minds. This time, it looked like they retained their magic upon returning to Earth. Should they use it? And how? What was there to do when people seemed intent on ripping their country apart out of fear? Even the Sailor Senshi seemed baffled about what to do. One day they were fighting those X-Men tooth and nail, the next they were practically side-by-side. _It's ridiculous,_ Umi thought to herself. _We get things in Cephiro patched up, but somehow things in our own world are falling apart, and everyone who should be doing something seems clueless!_

As these questions nagged at Umi, she walked back into her bedroom, expecting to see the movie about to start. What she saw instead made her drop her tray out of shock.

"I won't lie to all of you, there are dark times ahead for Japan yet again," said Sailor Moon. That confident delivery… She _HAD_ to be the real thing! "The Sailor Senshi have never backed down from this sort of thing before, and we won't start now. But this time, we'll need all those willing to open their hearts to rise up with us."

As Sailor Moon's words sank in, Umi called out, "Fuu, Hikaru!? Where are you two!?"

Umi heard soft footsteps behind her. "I believe Hikaru is downstairs, Umi. What's the matter?" came Fuu's calm voice. The polar opposite of how Umi now felt.

"Get her up here. I think Hikaru will want to see this," Umi said dryly. There was no point in trying to keep this from Hikaru. Everyone would be talking about this tomorrow. And knowing Hikaru, she would jump at Sailor Moon's call, just like she did when she first heard of the Magic Knight legend. The three of them would be dragged into yet another mess, but as Umi watched Sailor Moon some more, she now knew it was something they had to do. This time, it was their own world at stake.

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What's with the chapter title? When I merged some online accounts for digital copies of movies, the 2016 _Ghostbusters_ was one of five movies that came free, and that phrase was on the thumbnail. I'm serious.

Anyway… SURPRISE! With all the name-dropping for pretty much the rest of the Marvel Universe, including outright stating that She-Hulk is due to arrive, betcha thought the X-Men would eventually get some reinforcements from back West, right? Nope! This is still Usagi's story, and now that she's put the word out, she's getting extra help from _HER_ side of the pond!

Oh yeah, now there's a sweet trailer out that showcases live-action Cable. Hmmmm, makes it easier to imagine Josh Brolin's voice in this story, now doesn't it?

So long,

Grey-X


	24. Ultimate Alliance

Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 24: Ultimate Alliance

3-4-2018

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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Ikuko put the finishing touches on the curry meal she was preparing for Kenji. This sort of thing… Once, it was just part of her routine as a housewife. Now, such tasks served as a lifeline, providing meaning, and a means to distract her as her life slowly fell apart.

So many bombshells dropped in her lap, one after another. Usagi's best friend, the mutant who had the country in an uproar. Her own daughter, not a mutant, but secretly Japan's protector all this time. Who just formed an alliance with the X-Men, and now they had to stick close to these mutants, since their most infamous enemy might want to get at Usagi through them.

Ikuko shuddered as that sank in again. She had just set the dirty dishes in the sink, now half-expecting them to start moving. The thought of Magneto coming after her family turned her insides to water. How did Usagi cope with that looming over her? To hear Usagi tell it, she had taken down people with power rivaling Magneto's. No, she wasn't letting fear get to her. The heartbreak from seeing Naru go crazy is what threatened to undo her daughter.

She stood there in the shrine's kitchen for a moment, holding the tray in her hands. Superhero or not, reincarnated princess or not, Usagi was still her little girl! As her mother, she _HAD_ to do something for her daughter, console her in this darkest hour. But what could she do? She still didn't really understand what was going on. Ikuko doubted she ever would. She was just an ordinary woman, dumped in the middle of a conflict involving the Sailor Senshi, mutants, giant mutant-hunting robots… It made Ikuko's head hurt just trying to make sense of it, but not as much as her heart ached for Usagi.

Ikuko was so lost in her thoughts, she barely noticed someone else stepped into the kitchen. Turning to her left, Ikuko was surprised to see Storm. She stood there in that black uniform with a cape, such a stark contrast to the white fukus the Senshi wore. She silently… took a pot of brewed coffee? Seeing someone in a superhero costume doing something so mundane… Then again, Usagi once came off as a capricious little girl, never tipping her own mother off about her true identity.

Finally, Storm noticed Ikuko was there. Turning her head, she said, "I am sorry, Mrs. Tsukino, was I disturbing you?"

Ikuko quickly shook her head. "Actually, I was just about to take this back to the Blackbird, since Kenji's still there with Dr. McCoy."

"I'm heading back there with this as well," said Storm. "According to Samuel, coffee is practically Nathan's lifeblood, and the professor may need some caffeine to stay focused as well."

"Well, we better get going," said Ikuko with an awkward smile. Storm nodded, and the two of them headed out the shrine's back exit, into the forest.

Darkness had fallen, and the forest had a spooky vibe. It was foolish to be afraid, though, when walking beside the X-Men's field commander. Ikuko still wasn't sure what to make of Storm. All these years, hearing her husband speak reverently of her… The real thing wasn't what Ikuko expected. Oh, Storm stood tall and proud, with an aura of power, of someone accustomed to taking command of a situation. Yet at the same time, this supposed goddess of the winds seemed quite down to Earth, warm and friendly. And also, preoccupied with something.

"Ororo, is there… something the matter?" Ikuko worked up the courage to ask.

Storm sighed. "The same thing that's bothering you, I suppose. Wondering what to do to help your daughter."

Ikuko was taken aback, and for a moment, incensed. All this time, Ikuko had no clue of what her daughter was going through, but things were different now. Storm may be a leader of superheroes that Usagi could relate to, but Usagi was still _HER_ daughter. _HER_ responsibility. And to Ikuko's surprise, she didn't hesitate to tell her so. "Ororo, you're not obligated to help Usagi," she said, more testily than she wanted to.

"Aren't I?" Storm mused. "Did your daughter not tell you of our first meeting? She was so distraught over Naru, she was willing to open up to the professor and I, complete strangers. And after forcing both of our teams to stop wasting energy fighting each other, I saw hope reignite in her eyes. Even though I told her not to be so dismissive of her own worth, Usagi still acted as if we were the answer to her prayers. Yet, despite all our efforts, her friend slipped away, and I don't just mean how she teleported off that roof. Oh, I still wonder if I was being too gentle back there, whether I should've just risked injury with a lightning bolt…"

Ikuko stared at her quizzically. "Ororo, you summoned a _BLIZZARD_ to sap Naru's strength. If you're wondering if you were holding back, don't."

"Good point," said Storm. "Still, Usagi was counting on us taking Naru in, and I truly believed she would choose that path. After all, there was once a girl whose heart I, quite literally, had to rip out. Now, she's a fellow X-Man."

"You… ripped out…" As if Ikuko needed reminding why this woman was tough enough to lead the X-Men. "Never mind, I don't want to know. I get it, though. There was another angry mutant girl you thought you could reach, but she spat in your face."

Storm nodded, and Ikuko thought she saw a teardrop glimmer in what moonlight poked through the trees. "I believed showing her the Acolytes' atrocities would be enough. It was foolish to think convincing her to reject Magneto would mean she would accept us in turn, not after losing her mother. I miscalculated badly. Next time, I cannot hesitate to call down lightning, even if Makoto won't. It doesn't make it any less sickening for me, though." Ikuko said nothing. What could she say, even if she wasn't so surprised such a powerful mutant was showing vulnerability, in front of someone who was still mostly a stranger?

They reached the Blackbird, which had the entrance ramp down. Storm went on ahead, while Ikuko hesitated a moment, not particularly eager to step into something made of metal. When she finally went up the ramp, a snort made her look to the back of the plane. That… dragon, the American girl called Lockheed… He was there, puffing away at one of Logan's cigars, while he… played poker with that cat of Minako's!? They eyed each other suspiciously from over their hands.

 _A talking cat born millennia ago, in a poker game with an alien dragon that smokes cigars. Sure, at this point, why not?_ Ikuko mused. _Amazing what one can shrug off upon learning your daughter is a superhero and reincarnated princess. All I want to know is… how does that cat hold ONTO the cards!?_

Ikuko turned and walked further down the plane. She passed that girl and the big guy with the robotic arm, the latter already guzzling from a mug of coffee. They were scrutinizing something at a computer terminal, possibly trying to figure out where these 'Sentinels' were. Something else Ikuko didn't want to think about Usagi fighting. Kenji was close to the cockpit, finally getting that interview with Dr. McCoy. Unlike the others, McCoy wore a suit and tie instead of his uniform. They were both laughing amicably as Kenji scribbled something down. At least her husband was getting something out of this whole sordid affair.

Burying her anxiety as best she could, Ikuko walked up and set the tray down on the table between them. "I trust you're not to overcome with fanboyish glee that you've forgotten it's dinnertime," said Ikuko, forcing a smile.

Kenji smiled back. "Oh, what would I do without you, Ikuko?" Turning back to McCoy, he asked, "I wonder, is there… someone in your life, Doctor?"

McCoy chuckled. "No one who'd have home-cooked meals for me every night, if that's what you're asking. You know how hectic a reporter's life can be…"

Seeing that the interview would go on for some time, Ikuko sighed, ready to leave. But as she turned, she saw Storm standing beside Xavier. He had some strange helmet on, and Luna sat on the right armrest. It was so strange now, seeing a cat's face screwed up in concentration. Why had she never noticed it before? "Anything, Professor?" Storm asked hesitantly.

Xavier shook his head after removing that helmet, and likewise, Luna now looked flustered. "I'm afraid not, Ororo," said Xavier. "I hoped that by linking with Luna's mind as I use Cerebro, her greater sensitivity to dark forces might aid in pinpointing where Naru fled."

"Let's just face it, Xavier," said Luna. "Whatever it is about Naru's mutant powers that lets her evade detection, there's simply no way to beat it. I barely picked up how she was throwing around dark energy right and left the first time, and I was close by. When she's not summoning forth dark power, it's hopeless, even with Cerebro."

"Still, Luna, we must try," said Xavier. "I made Usagi a promise I would do everything in my power to help her friend."

"Too bad Naru doesn't want anyone's help," Luna hissed. The venomous bite to her voice took Ikuko aback. "I'm sorry, Xavier, but I can't help despising that girl now. Usagi did everything she could, did her best to patch up their friendship. And then Naru repaid her kindness by bludgeoning her with a tree, in case you forgot."

"No need for reminders, Luna. I was there." The words flew out of Ikuko's mouth before she could stop herself.

Xavier's wheelchair swiveled around. There was a strange look in his eyes. "No one will blame you for having less-than-charitable thoughts regarding Naru, Mrs. Tsukino. Still, I made a promise to your daughter that I intend to keep."

Ikuko stared down at Luna and Xavier for a moment. Usagi sought this man out, a complete stranger, yet gave off the air of a father figure. And this cat had been mentoring her daughter for well over a year, while she remained blissfully ignorant of the trouble Usagi was getting herself into. No, to hear Usagi tell it, this cat was the one _DRAGGING_ her into all those fights!

"Ikuko, clearly I'm not the only troubled woman here tonight," said Storm. "Please, if something's bothering you, just say so."

"Your professor can read minds. He can tell you, can't he?" Yet another thing Ikuko had trouble accepting. This man supposedly had her paralyzed, and could've wiped her memory. And to hear the X-Men tell it, Xavier was the only mutant who matched Magneto in terms of raw power. Usagi insisted Xavier could be trusted, would never abuse his power, but Ikuko couldn't help feeling anxious around him.

"I'm not in the habit to delving into minds without permission, except in extreme circumstances," said Xavier.

"Extreme circumstances… That's just it, Professor Xavier," said Ikuko. "I've learned my daughter is a reincarnated princess and Tokyo's protector, the city's become ground zero for the latest fight between you and your old friend, and I'm caught in the middle feeling utterly powerless. To help my daughter, to do anything! Extreme circumstances, I'll say! On top of that, I can't help feeling useless after learning not only Usagi sought out you instead of coming to me, but that a cat's been more of a mentor these last two years than I'll ever be."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear the venom in that last sentence," grumbled Luna.

Xavier regarded Ikuko thoughtfully for a moment. Was he reading her mind after all? How would she know if he ever was abusing his power? Her defenselessness in the face of his telepathy, that's what terrified Ikuko the most. "You wonder if you even matter to your daughter anymore, can make a difference in her life? One might say her decision to come clean, rather than have Nathan purge your memory, should say otherwise."

"Think about it, Ikuko. I was just her guide, helping Usagi come to terms with her destiny. You raised Usagi, stood by her. And after Usagi saw what keeping secrets did to her friendship with Naru, she decided to tell you everything. And over my objections if I had been there," said Luna. "Usagi isn't pushing you aside. More than ever, she's let you in."

"I'd like to think so, Luna," said Ikuko. "But who does she go to for superhero advice? You, and now Xavier. Will she ever run anything by me before storming off as Sailor Moon, tell me what kind of danger she's jumping into?"

"You may have a point there, Mrs. Tsukino," said Xavier suddenly. Ikuko looked back to him, seeing he suddenly looked distracted by something. "The stray thoughts I'm picking up from around the city… Ororo, hurry, we must bring up the current television broadcast." He swerved his wheelchair back around, punching something into his console.

"What channel, exactly?" asked Storm.

"From what I'm sensing, any channel," replied Xavier. Ikuko just stood there, already feeling shut out again. She was about to demand Xavier tell her what was going on, but then, she saw her daughter's face appear on a screen, as Sailor Moon. "As I thought, this is being broadcasted everywhere, overpowering all other signals."

"How did Usagi manage to get her face on every television screen in Tokyo?" came Kitty's voice. Ikuko turned to see her and Cable standing beside Xavier's console. Something must have suddenly dawned on Kitty, as her face contorted into a scowl. "Makoto… They must've plugged her right into a station's wiring to juice up the signal."

Xavier turned up the volume on the broadcast. Sailor Moon's confident, commanding voice rang inside the Blackbird. "The Sailor Senshi have never backed down from this sort of thing before, and we won't start now. But this time, we'll need all those willing to open their hearts to rise up with us. We've put so much blood, sweat and tears into defending our country, and we refuse to believe the people we've protected will let it go down this road. Suspicion of those born different bubbling over into outright hate, to the point of cheering on Sentinels marching down the streets, hunting down fellow citizens. We've seen that sort of ugliness elsewhere. We can either stand back and watch it happen here, or work together to keep such horrors from ever blackening our country's honor. The choice is yours." And with that, the signal cut out, replaced with static.

"Oh my stars and garters," said McCoy. "Ms. Tsukino said she desperately wanted to stop these Sentinels in their tracks, but this…What brought about such a hasty ploy?"

"Naru's betrayal affected her more than we realized," said Kitty. "She's done sitting around. All of the Senshi are."

"It might work," said Kenji. "If enough people make a stink, the political will to use Sentinels may wither."

"Yes, Sailor Moon must believe she's helping us by mobilizing those whose hearts can be swayed, but this can easily backfire," said Xavier. "I wish she would have run this by us, first."

 _At least this means Usagi's prepared to trust herself more than Xavier on SOME things,_ Ikuko thought to herself, praying Xavier truly wasn't picking up her thoughts. _Still, just what is my little girl thinking!? Is she TRYING to bring about more civil unrest!?_

"Wait a minute… Luna, did you know about…" Kitty began, turning to Xavier. But Luna had already jumped down from Xavier's wheelchair. She bolted down the lowered ramp, Artemis right behind her. With a snarl, Lockheed took flight and flew after them, snorting.

Kitty was about to follow Lockheed, but Xavier reached out to grab her wrist. "Forget the cats. We need to find out just what it is Sailor Moon is planning with this ploy." Xavier then turned to Storm. "Ororo, you and Nathan should go and…"

Xavier stopped upon seeing Storm was no longer standing there. A sudden gust of wind made Ikuko look back to the ramp. Dirt and leaves were being blown up into the plane. Storm was already flying into the city to look for the Sailor Senshi. A quick glance told Ikuko that Cable had also left, no doubt flying behind Storm. With their powers, they would soon find her daughter and get her to spill exactly what her insane plan was, while she was stuck here. Despite everything Xavier and Luna said, Ikuko felt more shut out than ever.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Storm hoped her black uniform would let her blend into the night while flying close to the roofs of skyscrapers, but figured her white hair flapping in her winds might still catch someone's eye. It couldn't be helped, though. Sailor Moon cut her transmission only moments ago. There was a chance to find the Sailor Senshi escaping across rooftops by flying toward the closest television studios. So Storm focused on the task at hand, finding that riding on the winds still came easily, despite everything that troubled her.

" _Still having trouble picking out the Sailor Senshi amongst all the other minds in Tokyo,"_ Cable said via telepathy. He flew beside Storm, not even looking toward her as his words rang in her head. _"The ruckus Sailor Moon caused with her little stunt isn't helping matters."_

" _What kind of thoughts are you picking up from the people, Nathan?"_ Storm sent back, suddenly curious. Sailor Moon had some plan in mind, or at least Storm hoped so. The girl meant well, but she could be so… flighty sometimes.

" _A really disparate brew,"_ said Cable. _"There's a lot of confusion about how Usagi's taking our side, thanks to seeing us fighting the Senshi on TV. There's plenty of dismissive attitudes too, but some folks… I guess Usagi struck a nerve, saying Japan would be shamed forever if they let it happen here. Lingering admiration for Sunfire might be helping, too."_

" _Is that optimism I'm sensing from you, Nathan?"_ Storm replied, unable to keep from smirking.

" _Merely acknowledging that so far, it's not exactly backfiring like the professor feared,_ " Nathan retorted. _"All the more reason to find the Senshi and figure out what their game is, before Kizachi and Magneto have a chance to twist things around."_

Storm nodded, seeing that they were closing on the first television studio. The goddess was with them this night, for Storm could make out the white of the Senshi's fukus on the roof of a building right next to the studio. They weren't on the move, however. The Senshi seemed to be peering over the roof's edge as police cars screeched to a halt right outside the studio entrance.

Storm and Cable curved their trajectories around, so that they came up behind the Sailor Senshi. They didn't seem to notice the swirling winds Storm kicked up as they flew closer, and Storm could hear the Senshi speak over them.

"Well, that's it. The Sailor Senshi are criminals now. Wanted by the law. Faces right next to Naru's on the public enemies list," grumbled Jupiter as they watched cops pour into the studio, only to soon find the Senshi were long gone. There was bitterness in her voice, but also resignation. From what Storm recalled, this girl who could also command lightning was no stranger to being regarded a troublemaker.

"A feeling I'm quite familiar with," said Storm, making all of the Senshi look behind them. "I grew up a thief on the streets of Cairo, Jupiter. It was the only way to survive. I trust there's a similarly justifiable motivation for what the Sailor Senshi have done tonight."

Storm and Cable touched down quite close to the Senshi. If the Senshi were unnerved by their sudden arrival, they didn't show it. There was no defensiveness in their stances, no readiness to strike. Despite how their teams clashed before, there was enough mutual understanding now. At least, that was what Storm hoped.

"Well, that was fast," said Uranus, yet she didn't look the least bit surprised to see them. "Let me guess, your professor picked up a lot of confusion in the city, and tuned in."

"Something like that," said Cable. "We caught the tail end of Sailor Moon's pitch to her countrymen. But so far, we're at a loss as to exactly _WHAT_ you're all hoping to accomplish with this stunt."

"Come on, Cable. I thought you were the tactician of this outfit," jeered Chibi-Moon. "Throw Kizachi a curveball, do the unexpected, undercut the push to use Sentinels that we know is coming, make our supposedly sparkling reputation actually work for us… Any of this resonating in that strategic mind of yours?"

Cable glowered at Chibi-Moon, but said nothing. Perhaps he felt the girl had a point, and found it hard to immediately refute her. Still, Storm had her doubts. "Your reputations may not be sparkling soon after this. Whatever you did in there, it attracted the attention of the police. There may be a cost to your ploy."

"Maybe we all decided that this was something worth sacrificing our reputations for," Mars said coolly.

"Yeah, Storm. The X-Men's standing in the eyes of the general public in America went into the toilet soon after the team revealed itself," added Mercury. "Yet over the years, the X-Men keep doing what they feel is right. Why shouldn't it be the same with us?"

Obviously, the Senshi put a good deal of thought not only into executing this scheme of theirs, but into countering the X-Men when they inevitably questioned their tactics. For a moment, Storm was also at a loss for words. Indeed, no matter how much it could hurt, being seen as a pariah by so many she sought to protect, Storm kept fighting for what she knew was right. Perhaps she and the other X-Men wished to spare the Sailor Senshi that pain. But perhaps she also failed to truly appreciate that the Senshi weren't exactly children needing guidance. These weren't X-Men-in-training from back home. The Sailor Senshi had been through the fire again and again, and now chose to jump into the blaze once more. They knew what the consequences could be, and were prepared to face them. Storm began to realize she should be proud of them, not worried.

Still, there was the matter of how this could blow up in all their faces, something Cable was all too happy to press. "Because with Erina Kizachi's connections, popularity and talent for manipulation, she could easily twist this against you. We've seen that sort of thing happen before."

"You think we hadn't considered that?" said Sailor Moon testily. "I learned that the hard way, when I put Kizachi on the spot in her seminar. So I made vague mentions of Sentinels instead of calling Kizachi out. I wasn't going to make that mistake again. There'll be a better time to stick it to Kizachi anyway, right?"

 _Indeed, we HAVE underestimated the Senshi's resolve. When we first met, Usagi was desperately trying to make sense of the chaos Erina Kizachi plunged their country into. Now, she's ready to make a stand. They all are,_ Storm thought. Out loud, she said, "Point taken, Sailor Moon. Perhaps we were too quick to believe the Sailor Senshi didn't think this through. Nevertheless, we would like to know what your endgame is. Things are at a delicate stage now, with us trying to pinpoint where the Sentinels are being…"

"That's the thing. We're all tired of just waiting for that," grumbled Neptune. "We helped Logan pry some information out of a yakuza operative, but we're not helpless in the meantime. If we can turn enough people against the idea of Sentinels being loosed, they'll stay in place long enough for us to find them."

"And smash every single one before they're activated," added Venus.

It was true that Logan's latest discoveries pointed them in the right direction, but it could still be some time before they had the Sentinels' location. Days even, and with how Naru's rampage had the whole city in a panic, Kizachi could get the authorization to use them before then. "A delaying tactic, then, until we can all strike together. OK, I get that," Cable admitted.

"It's not only that, Cable," said Tuxedo Kamen. "Kizachi's working with Magneto, remember? There's a good chance Magneto wants this chaos, too. Not just to rip out Usa-ko's heart, but to play into his message that humans will stomp all over mutants no matter what. All that footage of our fights given anonymously to the press… They _WANTED_ Japan's mutants to think the Sailor Senshi are no friend of mutants. By getting her story out, she blunts that too."

"As far as we're concerned, better to have our reputations tarnished in the eyes of law enforcement than be used for whatever messaging war Magneto's waging," added Venus.

Another admission that took Storm aback. This one once worked with Interpol. To casually toss aside the goodwill the Senshi earned with law enforcement showed just how committed she was.

Cable digested all this for a moment as he stood there, fixing the Sailor Senshi with an appraising look. "In any case, there's no putting this genie back in the bottle, I suppose," Cable said, relenting. "Who knows, your ploy may even work. Still, you should have briefed us on your plan first, Sailor Moon. There are a lot of variables here, and one mistake could let Kizachi and Magneto flip this to their advantage."

"You're here now. You want in on it? Fine," said Uranus testily.

"But maybe the X-Men should take a backseat this time, let the Sailor Senshi be the ones in the spotlight fighting for mutants' rights," said Neptune.

"And why would that be?" asked Storm, confused.

"It's like you said, about reputations," said Mercury. "No offense Storm, but not everyone in Japan sees the X-Men like Usagi's father does. The Sailor Senshi, however… Despite what we've done here tonight, hopefully we've earned enough goodwill in the past so people will listen to us…" Storm caught the hesitancy in Mercury's voice. She wasn't entirely sure this would work, and to a scientific mind like hers, uncertain variables vexed her to no end. Still, she wouldn't back down. None of the Senshi would.

"Besides, isn't it time the X-Men had an ally that _REALLY_ fought for what they're here for?" Sailor Moon cut in. "I mean sure, sometimes Spider-Man or the Hulk or the Punisher will lend a hand. But when it comes to making sure the world's a better place after the bad guys get beat…"

Storm regarded Sailor Moon for a moment. Hearing what some of the other Senshi said about Usagi Tsukino, it sounded like she could be a bit of a slacker, and lack motivation to meet long-term goals. Maybe it was because she only knew her for a short time, but Storm had trouble seeing it. She first saw the girl reading Xavier's book, despite it being way over her head. Now she was preparing for the long haul, to make sure Erina Kizachi and Magneto wouldn't drag Japan down into complete chaos.

"Sailor Moon, you don't owe the X-Men anything," said Storm. "Both of our teams made mistakes that night at the shipyard."

"This isn't about obligation, Storm," said Mars. "It's just the right thing to do."

"A lot of us know what it's like to be ostracized, anyway. Better than you might think," added Jupiter.

Sailor Moon glanced down, tears welling up in her eyes. "Besides, if we did something like this sooner…"

Storm walked over to Sailor Moon, placing her hands on her shoulders. "It's because of Naru that you're doing this, I understand. Her rejection hurt me as well, but I can't imagine how much heartache this has caused you, her old friend," Storm said softly. "You do realize, though, that this probably won't win Naru back."

Tears kept flowing from Sailor Moon's eyes, yet despite her sorrow, Storm could still see a steely resolve in them as she looked up. "I know, Storm. But like Mars said, it's still the right thing to do. Maybe keep other mutant kids from feeling hopeless and flipping out, too. Better late than never, I guess," she said with a nervous laugh.

Storm couldn't help but to smile back. "When I said that the X-Men might be following your lead, Sailor Moon, I was righter than I knew."

"You sure about this, Ororo?" Cable asked delicately.

"It makes sense, Nathan," said Storm. "The people of Japan will be potentially more receptive to the Sailor Senshi, as Sailor Mercury said. Meanwhile, we continue our endeavors to track down the Sentinels. Both teams focus more on the tasks they are better suited for. As you said, the plan is tactically sound, and I'm certain the professor will agree."

"On paper, yes," Cable pointed out. "This could still blow up in their faces."

"You want to make sure that doesn't happen, Cable?" Chibi-Moon asked teasingly. "Well, we may just have a job perfect for you…"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Night had fallen once again in Tokyo. In the days since Sailor Moon made her plea to its populace, the arrival of night and the twinkling of stars overhead brought no peace, no serenity. Usagi knew how confused so many people were, thanks to her. Would they trust her when she said they could avoid dragging Japan down, or would they find it easier to give in to their fear, as Kizachi and Magneto were banking on? Professor X's years-long conflict with the latter… It had finally spilled over into Japan, and there was no turning away. But she couldn't rely completely on Xavier and his X-Men, Usagi realized that now. The Sailor Senshi had to make a stand themselves.

Yet for the moment, Usagi was allowed a brief respite as night fell. The streets were relatively peaceful, and as she rode shotgun in Haruka's Ferrari, the powerful hum of its engine was oddly soothing. Or it would have been, if Haruka hadn't insisted on keeping the radio on, to listen to the news.

"And now, use of mercenary forces has been authorized. Not only to track down and detain mutants deemed a threat to the general populace, but push back against Sailor Moon if she makes good on her promise to practically start an insurrection to protect Japanese mutants," droned the reporter on the radio.

"They think we're itching to spark an insurrection? Mercenaries hired to take us down?" Haruka scoffed, smirking. "I don't know whether to be insulted, or flattered that the Japanese government thinks we're that dangerous."

"Aren't we?" Usagi asked darkly as she listened to the radio some more.

"In addition, Japan's famed roboticist, Erina Kizachi, has offered up her company's resources to counter this threat to national security," the reporter drawled. Usagi looked to see Haruka's grip on the steering wheel tighten at the mention of that hated name. "Reports suggest an advanced scanning system to ferret out citizens with mutant DNA, but other details are sketchy…"

"Yeah, I'll bet," snorted Haruka. "At least this means Kizachi's not feeling confident enough to give a full-throated pitch for her death machines. Yet. I only half-believed that when Michiru fed that line to Storm."

"Yet you were the one who insisted I step up," Usagi reminded her.

"Oh don't get me wrong, I think this is crazy," said Haruka. "I don't exactly share Xavier's optimism when it comes to people suppressing their worst instincts."

"Then why did you suggest this in the first place?" asked Usagi delicately.

Haruka smirked again. "I'm pessimistic about people in general. When it comes to just _YOU_ … Well, I refused to think Kizachi could break you so completely. So better to spur you on in a way that lets Michiru and I guide you more easily, make sure you don't do anything _TOO_ crazy."

Usagi didn't know what to say, so she listened to the radio some more. The reporter wasn't speaking anymore. Instead, a woman being interviewed spoke instead, in an impassioned voice. "If it wasn't for mutants, both I and that old man from the United States sitting next to me would be dead! Along with everyone else in that monorail car!" Usagi wondered what this woman would say if she knew a mutant caused that accident in the first place. "These mutants can do so much good, including beating back the ones with a grudge against humanity. Instead, we're trying to alienate them all!? No wonder that girl who saved us snapped!"

 _So some people are seeing the light, at least,_ Usagi thought hopefully as the car rolled to a stop at a red light. "Naturally, we're hitting every other light. I wonder if we should have just transformed and got to Edwards's manor house by jumping across rooftops. That's probably how the others beat us there."

"Perhaps, since people gathering there will be expecting to hear from Sailor Moon herself, not Usagi Tsukino," said Haruka. "It's not surprising that Edwards was willing to offer his manor house for a meeting place, what with his dedication to ensuring a bright future for the next generation. What amazes me is how many people seem to be jumping at your call, Usagi. Whatever Ami and Kitty did with emails or whatever, it worked. Now plenty of those who agree with you know where to go."

"Hopefully I can avoid making a fool of myself this time," Usagi grumbled.

"Don't accept any drinks, or try speaking English, and I think you'll be fine," Haruka said, smirking yet again. "That reminds me, when the X-Men explained how Xavier can give telepathic language crash courses… How come you didn't ask him to give you one for English?"

"With Rei _AND_ Ami standing right there? I would've never heard the end of it," scoffed Usagi.

Haruka shrugged her shoulders as she chuckled. "You passed your entrance exams without it. Not exactly cheating."

Usagi couldn't help but chuckle herself. "That's why I'll make a point to ask him in private, after this mess is over," replied Usagi, giggling.

These brief moments, where she could still laugh with even the most hardened Senshi, such precious respites… But who knew how long she could look forward to even this? Usagi looked around, half-expecting Sentinels to stomp around and ruin the moment. Instead, that was when Usagi noticed a man at the street corner who looked hopelessly lost, glancing at a map in his hands. He was an odd-looking fellow, with a bandana and… a bamboo umbrella fixed atop the knapsack he had on?

Haruka noticed him, too. "Hey, looking for something?" she asked him.

The man turned toward the car. There was an irritated, yet uneasy, look in his eyes. "Well, er, I'm trying to find this… manor house. I'm aiming to… meet up with some people. There's something I intend to do."

Usagi glanced over at Haruka. They had to be careful about just who they opened up to about this. Measures were in place to weed out possible spies, but Haruka would insist they couldn't be too cautious. Yet, after staring at the guy for a moment, Haruka spoke. "You aim to join the movement Sailor Moon started, to push back against persecution of mutants." The way Haruka blurted that out, just like how Usagi almost did, shocked her. Whatever Haruka sensed from him, she figured he was on the level.

"So… you're in on it, too?" he asked dubiously. "Let's just say there's someone I know who's getting in on the action, someone I won't let one-up me…"

Looking over to Haruka again, Usagi saw she shot him at dubious look of her own. But finally, she said, "Fair enough. Usagi, let him in the back seat before the light turns green."

Still shocked that Haruka was so quick to trust him, Usagi just shrugged her shoulders, pulling her seat back as she thrust open the car door. He jumped in just as the light changed and Haruka sped off. "A Ferrari. Nice," he said.

"Amazingly, it's still running fine after someone I thought I knew… took a joyride in it," said Haruka.

"Do forgive my asking, but aren't you that racer Haruka Tenoh?" he asked, sounding a bit impressed.

"That would be me," said Haruka. "And you?"

"The name's Ryoga Hibiki," he said. "No surprise if you haven't heard of me. I tend to… wander a lot."

"With such a bad sense of direction, that's not a surprise," Haruka said coyly. "The manor house you're looking for is quite a ways across town." Ryoga just grumbled to himself. They pretty much rode on in silence for the rest of the trip.

But soon enough, they pulled up to the main entrance of Edwards's residence. Quite a lot of cars were parked there already. Turnout was looking to exceed what Usagi had hoped. The three of them stepped out just as another car pulled up behind the Ferrari, this one a rather fancy limousine. Usagi thought little of it at first. Perhaps this was Edwards himself just returning. But then, Usagi noticed Haruka tensed up. "Be alert, Odango," she hissed in her ear.

"You sense something weird?" Usagi whispered back.

"Much like what Michiru described when she first ran into Rogue," said Haruka. "As if someone was granted power from a source far beyond our world." She stood watching the limousine, ready for anything to pop out.

Yet what emerged was… a girl Usagi's own age? She was strikingly beautiful, with long, flowing sky-blue hair. Haruka seemed to recognize her. "That's the only child of the Ryuuzaki family," she whispered to Usagi. "Michiru was hired to play at their social gatherings more than once. Yet now… Definitely, she has a strong, otherworldly power within her. Her and those other two." Usagi saw a girl with short sandy-blonde hair, glasses, and a green dress step out next. And then, a rather short girl with fiery red hair, done up in a long braid, sporting a kendo training outfit. She looked ready to burst with excitement. To the point that she rushed ahead, tripped, and would have knocked Usagi to the ground if she hadn't been watching and caught her.

"Ooooof, sorry about that," said the redhead apologetically as Usagi helped her stand back up.

"Hikaru, please. I know you're excited, but you must pace yourself," said the girl with glasses.

"I know, Fuu, I know. But I just can't believe this is happening!" cried Hikaru. "Sailor Moon's really going to be here!"

"You're… really that excited to see her?" asked Usagi, dumbfounded. It still surprised her sometimes, how much she meant to people of Japan when they had almost no understanding what the Sailor Senshi were really about. To make it worse, this time, Sailor Moon needed something from them. "Whatever she's expecting from us, it won't be easy. It'll be dangerous, probably."

The blue-haired girl sighed. "Let's just say that Hikaru's no stranger to jumping into something crazy if she feels the cause is just."

"This is Sailor Moon we're talking about, Umi," said Hikaru brightly. "When someone like that puts the word out, you can be sure, well…" Usagi was shocked by the hint of sorrow now present in Hikaru's exuberant voice. Almost as if she had jumped at a call once before, only to realize things weren't quite what she expected.

Hikaru rejoined her friends, and they made their way up the stairs at the front entrance. Ryoga soon followed them inside. Usagi watched them go, as did Haruka, her lingering suspicion still palpable. They all had different reasons for coming at Sailor Moon's insistence, but they came all the same.

Usagi and Haruka finally made their way inside. The people answering those emails or whatever weren't gathering in the main hall where that party was last time. Rather, there was a smaller auditorium room toward the back of the manor house. Still, it was quite large, which was fortunate, as scores of people were attending to see Sailor Moon address them all.

The two of them stepped into the auditorium, and Usagi saw Ryoga find his way over to a table. It was a rather interesting bunch Ryoga met up with. An energetic-looking girl with long, purple hair, dressed in traditional Chinese garb. A girl who looked like she worked in a restaurant, with a huge spatula tied to her back. It wasn't just youngsters at that table, either. A rather big middle-aged guy with glasses and a really short, shriveled old man sat with them.

However, the most normal-looking among that group were this girl with short, dark-blue hair and a tough-looking boy with black hair tied up in the back. The latter seemed to be needling Ryoga, possibly about his lousy sense of direction. This incensed the blue-haired girl, and she grabbed a glass of water and shouted something at him. Amazingly, it got him to back down. Why would water scare him like that?

That trio from the limousine made their way to a table. They passed a rather ordinary looking guy, sitting alone with a girl wearing a sundress and a hat with a wide brim. At first, her turquoise hair made Usagi think it was Michiru, but no, this girl's hair was much longer. The guy she sat with leered at Umi as she passed by, grinning. Saying nothing, the turquoise-haired girl simply touched his shoulder with one finger. He convulsed as if an electric shock ran through him.

Usagi looked to Haruka, who had a stern expression. "Straight-up alien, that one," said Haruka, knowing what Usagi was curious about. "Yet if she got this far into the manor house, she has no hostile intent."

Looking across the auditorium, Usagi saw Rei and Michiru, the latter with her talisman out. That would help clue them in, in the event of spies infiltrating their gathering, as would Rei's ability to sense hostility and willingness to kill. Usagi and Haruka made their way over to them, wading around more tables.

Usagi noticed Haruka casting a sideways glance at a table occupied by four boys and two girls. One of the girls was still in her school uniform, and had medium-length brown hair done up in twintails. The other wearing some sort of pink kimono, her blue hair done up in a ponytail. And maybe that one with the red hair actually a girl, too? It was hard to tell. But the one who really caught Usagi's eye was the boy with the slicked-back hair. He wouldn't look out of place in a yakuza clan, yet there was an air of goodness about him. He appeared bored, but looked as if he understood the importance of being here all the same.

Usagi looked back ahead when Haruka grumbled again, but about the occupants of a different table. "Someone else of great wealth. This time it's Sonomi Daidouji, and her little girl."

"The toy company?" asked Usagi, confused. There was a little girl with long, jet-black hair. She looked super-cheerful, but otherwise there didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary about her. "Don't tell me you're sensing something alien from that little girl, too?"

"Not alien, and no, not her. That girl beside her, as well as that boy their age," Haruka whispered back. Usagi looked again. There was another young girl with short, auburn hair and green eyes. Beside her sat a boy who looked quite nervous, reserved and resolute all at once.

So many people with special power of their own, even kids way younger than her!? Could any of them be mutants, too? She would have to check with Ami, later. Xavier gave Kitty permission to install a small Cerebro unit into Ami's computer. If any were present, the Senshi would know. _Unless Naru wants to crash the party,_ Usagi thought glumly.

Ororo was right to point out that, whatever Usagi did now, there was a good chance Naru was lost to them forever. Still, Usagi knew she had to do this, if for no other reason than to keep hope alive in her heart.

Usagi was so wrapped up in her regrets over Naru, she wound up bumping into someone. The voice that grumbled back at her instantly clued Usagi in. _Oh no, why do I keep running into HER these days!?_ Usagi thought with a shiver of fear, looking up to see Haruna Sakurada standing there. _Then again, maybe I shouldn't be too surprised…_

Amazingly, her old teacher looked more surprised than annoyed. "Ms. Tsukino, I certainly didn't expect to find you here. Then again, it shouldn't be a shock. I mean, if only we knew about Naru sooner…"

"Yeah, I know the feeling," said Usagi. "But Naru, I mean, I heard that she…"

"It doesn't matter," said Haruna quickly. "She may have turned her back on us, but I refuse to turn my back on her. Or her kind. Sailor Moon was right about how we've seen this sort of thing happen before in other countries."

It was then that Usagi truly got understood what Sailor Moon meant to people. Even the teacher who tormented her for years could be moved by her words when she stood proudly as the Senshi of love and justice. She looked around again, and saw even more people whose lives Sailor Moon had touched. Edwards himself was standing in the middle of the auditorium now, looking over his guests. That little girl aspiring to be a swordswoman, Miharu Akiyama, and her mother Fuyumi, were here. The former had seen Sailor Moon in action, even helped her, yet still came when Sailor Moon asked for help again. Also, sitting with them was that monk in the mountains Makoto briefly trained with, Kakusui Yakushiji. Even more strong fighters! Usagi would take as many as she could get.

But most importantly for Usagi, she saw the Ayakashi Sisters and the Amazoness Quartet at a table together. Their old enemies, convinced to abandon their evil ways. Just seeing them here, this badly needed reminder, made the faint spark of hope for Naru shine a bit brighter within Usagi.

Finally, Usagi and Haruka made it over to Rei and Michiru. "Rei, sense anything weird?" Usagi asked quickly.

"Plenty, Usagi, plenty," grumbled Rei. "According to Ami, there's only one mutant here, our volunteering X-Man. Yet I'm getting so many weird vibes from this crowd…"

"Hopefully, the X-Men won't feel bad," said Michiru. "Clearly, there may be other powerful potential allies, right here in Japan, that we never knew about." She gazed into her mirror again, then out at the crowd, an odd look in her eyes. Her typical cynicism probably clashed with how her senses told her these new arrivals posed no threat. Hopefully, just the opposite.

"Anyway, it's nice that you finally dragged your meatheaded ass over here, Usagi," said Rei gruffly. "I think it's about time for a certain someone to make her appearance…"

Usagi glowered at her, but then her expression softened and she nodded. Glancing out at the crowd again to make sure no one would notice her slipping out, Usagi ducked through the door Rei and Michiru were standing beside. Soon enough, Usagi slipped into a bathroom at the other end of the manor house, away from prying eyes. At least, that was what Usagi thought at first. As she stared at herself in the mirror, Usagi suddenly felt a pair of eyes upon her. Glancing up at an open window, she saw Luna stepping onto the windowsill. "Quite a crowd you've drawn tonight, Usagi," said the cat.

"Tell me about it," said Usagi. "What some of the other Senshi have been sensing… The X-Men may not be the only superheroes we've crossed paths with." She looked back at the mirror. Usagi remembered that first time she transformed into Sailor Moon. Back then, she stared into a mirror, clueless about what was going on. And now when she looked at herself, despite glimpses into her future… Usagi still didn't know where this was going, what she was becoming, what she was supposed to do…

"And yet, they're here because of you," said Luna, hopping down to the floor. "All the times I said I'd wish you'd grow up and take initiative… Even after all the times you've used the Ginzuishou, never did I think you'd try something as bullheaded as this. You sure you're ready?"

"No," said Usagi, still staring at her reflection. "But it's too late to back out, isn't it? This is so stupid, Luna, like you're saying. I know I'm supposed to become queen one day, yet I have no idea what I'm supposed to do, or what I even _CAN_ do. All I know is that I have to do something, Luna, whatever crazy idea that comes along…" With that, Usagi raised her hand and cried, "Moon Crisis Makeup!"

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Nathan realized he should consider himself fortunate. With his time commanding X-Force, he knew just how much of a handful it was, being responsible for a team of teenagers with superpowers. In many ways, these Sailor Senshi were even rowdier and more unpredictable than his old charges. To a seasoned, disciplined soldier like him, that could be infuriating. Still, just like the team he once led, they brought a wealth of experience of their own, and proved quite capable. Not only in proving a match for the X-Men, but showing initiative in beating back anti-mutant hysteria in their country. Nathan still had reservations, but Professor Xavier convinced him to aid in the first step of the Senshi's pushback against Erina Kizachi.

Still, Nathan could do without this uncomfortable tuxedo. That was more the speed of Usagi's boyfriend. It was in his codename, after all. Thankfully, there was one available in his size that covered up his techno-organic arm nicely, and sunglasses hid his scars and cybernetic eye. With all the wealthy people here coming to see Sailor Moon for one reason or another, most would assume he was just another bodyguard, watching the auditorium for any sign of trouble.

That let Nathan do his job without drawing suspicion. After all, he really didn't need to move. Rei, Ami and Michiru all had means to see if anything was amiss about arrivals. But to be absolutely certain there were no spies, his telepathy would be crucial, just as Chibiusa said. And some of the minds he had scanned, despite surprisingly formidable mental defenses… Nathan allowed himself a small smile. In the coming days, the Sailor Senshi and the rest of the X-Men would be in for some big surprises themselves.

But mostly, Nathan was on the lookout for minds he couldn't penetrate at all. That was the red flag, signaling it was someone working on behalf of Kizachi and Magneto, either directly or indirectly.

As he probed the latest batch of people coming through the front entrance, Nathan found another mind that proved resistant to his power. He would've liked to learn just how Kizachi was shielding sensitive people from mutant telepathy, but that would have to wait. For now, focus on their immediate concerns.

" _Minako, Makoto, Mamoru… We've got another one,"_ Nathan said telepathically to the three Senshi lying in wait. _"That tough-looking fellow, trying to slip in behind that girl with twintails and glasses. Makoto's old school uniform, right? Anyway, you know what to do."_

Nathan's mind lingered elsewhere for a moment, seeing things through Makoto's eyes as she intercepted the would-be spy. He could feel her desire to get him away from that girl. An old friend of hers, perhaps. Makoto's strength was more than enough to force him back, but Mamoru and Minako were on standby just in case. All the while, Nathan's telepathy would ensure anyone else coming in would see nothing amiss.

He also made sure to do more peripheral scans on everyone entering the manor house, to get a sense of their motivations. Some were confused, or just curious about Sailor Moon's plea for help. Yet a good number surprised Nathan with their sincere desire to give something back to Japan's protector. Many felt as Usagi did. All they needed was a little prodding to overcome their doubts.

Nathan had been at this for almost two hours. His body felt fine, ready in case he was needed as Cable, seasoned warrior from the future and X-Man. However, his mind was swiftly becoming fatigued. His relative inexperience with telepathy, coupled by the ever-present threat of Apocalypse's techno-organic virus, made this a lot harder than it had to be.

Apocalypse… The mutant he was created for the sole purpose of assassinating. No matter how many times it looked as if that monster was soundly defeated, En Sabah Nur found a means to rise again. There was still no way to be sure if his ascension in the future had been thwarted. Even worse, if Apocalypse was still set to be in power during the time Nathan was ferreted to by the Askani, that was bad news for Usagi. That meant Crystal Tokyo could very well be torn asunder by his nemesis.

Nathan pushed such worries out of his mind. He had to focus on weeding out spies. There was no time to muse about possible futures, either his or Usagi's.

Still, things conspired to make Nathan's mind return to such a horrific possibility. "So tell me, was this really such a bad idea?" asked a voice saccharinely.

Grumbling, Nathan looked down to see Chibiusa standing there, gazing up at him with a sly look. As bratty as this kid could be, Nathan had to admire how sharp and brave she was. Still, he wished she would pick a better time to pester him. "So long as you don't break my concentration and let any would-be spies slip in, Usagi's ploy just may stand a chance," Nathan admitted.

Chibiusa smirked, hopefully getting the hint. "Fine then, we'll talk later. One time-traveler to another. You still owe me some answers."

Nathan grumbled to himself before replying. "I already told you all there is to know," he lied. "I was shepherded to the future to be saved from a techno-organic virus, the one responsible for this arm and eye. And I came back to do what I was meant for, beat back Apocalypse. What else is there to know?"

Any hopes that this kid would finally back off were in vain. Sharp as this girl was, she could tell there was something he hid from her. "How this future of yours can coexist with mine," Chibiusa spat back. "Like I said, Plu never said a word about you."

"She also never said a word about Kitty's mind traveling back in time to keep Sentinels from overrunning the world, remember?" Nathan pointed out. "If this Sailor Pluto guards the passageways through time, as you say, perhaps she allowed it. To ensure your future would be possible." There was little hope this new line of reasoning would placate Chibiusa, but he had to try. To tell Chibiusa her kingdom would probably come crashing down because of the one enemy the X-Men could never keep down for good… It was too much for Nathan to bear.

Chibiusa opened her mouth to fire something back, but the lights dimmed. Nathan and Chibiusa looked up to the dais, along with everyone else. "Sometimes the monster you have to beat is an easy target. Other times, it's something elusive, something you'll need a lot of help vanquishing," came a bubbly voice from behind the curtains. The curtains parted, and spotlights shone on Sailor Moon, her back turned to the attendees. "You know the drill. I'm the Senshi of love and justice, Sailor Moon!" she went on, twisting around to point at the crowd. "But this time, to dish out punishment in the name of the Moon, I'll need more than just my fellow Senshi. I'll need all of you," Sailor Moon finished with a wink.

Nathan felt a mixture of hope and trepidation as the crowd erupted with roars and cheers, affirming they were here to follow Sailor Moon's lead. For better or worse, she was bringing the fight to Erina Kizachi. And there was no telling which of them would win this convoluted game of chess.

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Wow, this was a tough chapter. It's a whole week overdue, and for good reason. Using side characters like Usagi's mother is pretty damn hard, plus with so much focus on the Sailor Senshi's side of things, it can feel awkward suddenly doing segments from an X-Man's point of view.

Plus, I had to take my time with this one. Characters from six different anime, all in one room. It's the moment I've wanted to write for such a long time, showing what I feel Usagi Tsukino's true strength is. This idea that Japan in the Marvel Universe has a plethora of superpowered beings, not just folks like Sunfire, Lady Deathstrike and Silver Samurai. Yet it takes someone like Sailor Moon to gather them all together for a common cause, like how Loki's schemes brought about the formation of the Avengers and changed everything.

So long,

Grey-X


	25. Transform and Rise Up

**Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse**

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 25: Transform and Rise Up

3-31-2018

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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"It's quite amazing, how plans can appear to be moving ahead swiftly, yet at the same time look as if they will fall apart any second," said Magneto dryly, arms folded. Gai did his best to ignore how he was standing only a meter to his right. Him wearing his costume and helmet made it difficult, however. Both of them stood behind Erina as she sat in her chair, inspecting the multitude of screens in her private office, feeding them news reports.

And there was no shortage of news about the 'mutant crisis' hitting Japan hard. This was exactly what Magneto wanted. It would ultimately aid him in wooing more and more mutants to his cause, especially right here in Japan. It was more or less what Erina wanted as well, though there were deeply personal reasons for manipulating events in Japan to Magneto's benefit.

So far, it appeared the managed chaos both of them desired was unfolding. As far as Gai knew, Erina didn't have authorization for full-scale Sentinel construction and deployment yet, though their government had no idea the former was already underway. Still, mercenary units were being called upon in the meantime, sent out to hunt down Eclipse and any other identified mutant deemed a threat. Panic gripped many in Tokyo, and it was spreading to the rest of Japan, like an infection. Thus creating fertile ground for Magneto's message. Gai still wasn't sure how he felt about that. After all, he was human himself. Yet, just like his aunt, he had his own personal reasons, beyond obligation to her. Even if it meant working with a psycho like Magneto.

So it bothered Gai to see how all this was being countered, in a way none of them expected. It had been days since Sailor Moon got herself on every television screen in the city and beyond, pleading her case. At first, Gai dismissed it as desperation, only to bring on another tongue-lashing from Erina about underestimating the girl.

As usual, his aunt was swiftly proven right. The three of them watched a broadcast from BBC, where a reporter with a camera tailed one of those mercenary teams. They barged into the loading area of some abandoned warehouse, no doubt to round up a group of mutants hoping to take refuge there. Thanks to the sensors Kizachi Technologies was graciously providing, in order to sniff out those with mutant DNA, zeroing in on these mutants was no problem. However, these mercenaries hit an unexpected snag. One by one, these Japanese mutants, along with loyal family and friends, were simply... disappearing. Not teleporting away or anything, just disappearing.

"What happened to them?" Gai asked, incredulous. "Did one of them have the power to get them all clear? Maybe, it was Osaka? Can she... pull that teleportation trick without that black fire?"

"Doubtful. That's the ability of Osaka's probably requiring the greatest amount of practice and effort," said Erina. Like always, she had the air of a patient scientist, but Gai suspected she was seething inside. Sailor Moon made a desperate gambit that took them all by surprise, and perhaps it was starting to work. "No, definitely not Naru Osaka, or any of the Sailor Senshi or X-Men. There's something we're missing... Here, I'll play a recording back."

Erina fiddled with a remote, and they watched the footage replay. Gai didn't notice anything different, but Magneto pointed at the screen. "There. There was a brief blur," he said, just as coolly as Erina. Gai didn't want to think of how frustrated the Master of Magnetism was growing.

"I think you're right. I saw another one. A blur of something... pink," said Erina. "I'll play it back again, but in slow motion."

"I'll wager it was someone moving at super speed," said Magneto.

"No wonder your eye caught it, then," said Erina airily. "And you would win that bet, Lehnsherr. Take a look." The three of them squinted at the paused image. What they saw was still fuzzy, but it looked to be... a little brown-haired girl? One wearing some sort of pink outfit and mask. Not only was she impossibly fast, but quite strong, as she was carrying out one of the trapped mutants in her arms. "The image is too blurry for facial recognition software, but we can safely conclude your son isn't the one antagonizing you today, Lehnsherr."

"Who is it, then?" Demanded Gai. "Another mutant?"

Magneto shook his head. "Even when moving at such speeds, the sensors provided by your aunt would have detected something. These humans were utterly clueless."

"And the Sailor Senshi cannot attain speeds like this," said Erina. "The only explanation is that Tsukino's pitch brought in people with superhuman abilities that all of us were ignorant of. This isn't the only instance I've been made privy too. Take a look at some footage I picked up from one of my cameras."

Erina fiddled with her remote again. On another screen, they could see a similar scene play out, only it was police moving into a back alley to corner another suspected mutant, a young boy. He raised his hands, crying, absolutely terrified. However, someone stepped up behind the boy. He looked a few years older than him, sporting spiky, black hair with a few white streaks, yet he wasn't much taller than the boy.

The cops yelled at him to step away, but the new arrival merely stared back quizzically, a bit annoyed. And then, to Gai's horror, what looked like an eye on his forehead opened up. At once, the cops looked dizzy and confused. The guy with the third eye then grabbed the boy's wrist, grumbled something to him, then dragged him away in a flash. He didn't move as fast as that girl, but dashing off like that... Even if one ignored that freaky third eye, if that guy wasn't a mutant, he certainly wasn't human.

"The officers involved in that attempted arrest claim to have only a fuzzy recollection of what happened. The ones who remember anything at all," said Erina. "The one who could recall the most had my nanomachines in him, yet they only blocked the effects of that eye partially. Definitely not mutant power, possibly something supernatural. Indeed, if Usagi Tsukino now has at her command new recruits with power we're completely in the dark about... This changes everything, Lehnsherr. I do hope your Acolytes and the Brotherhood are ready to spring into action at a moment's notice. We may need them sooner than anticipated."

"I would appreciate if you didn't speak as if they are yours to command, Kizachi," said Magneto imperiously. "Especially considering that things have taken a sharp, unexpected turn despite your assurances. Thanks in no small part to your nephew's incompetence."

Anger got the better of Gai before he could bite his tongue. "Enough about that! How was I supposed to know Osaka's mother was taking medication that would make the poison's effects worse!?"

Magneto rounded on Gai. "And I would appreciate if you would watch your tone around me," he snarled dangerously. "Make all the excuses you want, but that oversight has made recruiting Naru Osaka into my fold that much harder!"

Gai felt himself wither under Magneto's gaze. Thankfully, Erina came to his rescue. "Well, both of us were aghast to learn Mayumi Osaka died, Lehnsherr. But for now, do consider giving my poor nephew a pass. There's still a chance to make Osaka yours, as we discussed. Besides, Gai has more reason to be loyal to your cause than you think."

The Master of Magnetism glared at him a moment longer. No doubt he was wondering just why this particular human before him would be sympathetic to his cause, when he still had trouble trusting Erina. "And what reasons might those be?" Magneto asked, looking back down to her.

"Why not tell him yourself, Gai?" Erina suggested delicately, again scrutinizing that footage with Sailor Moon's mystery speedster. "You showed you have a tongue moments ago. Use it."

Magneto looked back to Gai, coldly expectant. Did his aunt have to put him on the spot like that? Seeing no way out of it, Gai sighed and said, "I... think my son might be a mutant." This actually seemed to surprise Magneto, as he raised an eyebrow quizzically. "It... was a quick fling when I was still in school, I got a girl pregnant. She chose to have the baby, but by the time he was born, I was deeper than ever into my yakuza clan. I sent money whenever I could, kept tabs on the boy, even when doing a stint in prison... Until one day I learned he was seeing visions that eventually came true. And there were reports of sudden gusts of biting wind coming out of nowhere to drive away bullies..."

Magneto remained silent for many moments, digesting this. "So, you're also motivated to make a world where mutants like your son can grow up free of persecution, is that what you're saying?" he asked, still a bit dubious. "Where is this son of yours now?"

"Safe," Erina said quickly. "History repeats itself, Lehnsherr. Just like with Trask's boy, I've made it so he'll be masked from the sensors I've handed out to those mercenaries and law enforcement. But in time, I think you may have a very useful new recruit. Since Mystique lost Destiny, my nephew's son may be a suitable replacement."

Gai said nothing, but the thought of his boy joining up with Magneto made his stomach sink. Erina was right. He did want his son to grow up happy, but also avoid the mistakes he made. Working with Magneto would be far worse than any of his. _Then again, here I am helping the most dangerous mutant terrorist ever,_ Gai reminded himself.

"I'm more interested in the here and now," said Magneto dryly. "This was your idea, making an entire generation of Japanese mutants receptive to my message. But now that's in jeopardy, with how Sailor Moon also has her message out there, echoing Charles's. Now, these new recruits of hers are swooping in to rescue these young mutants before I get the chance. You claimed that having Sailor Moon's best friend turn on her, of her own free will, would break her!"

"I said that if anything could break Tsukino, that would do it," Erina reminded him. "And for a time, it looked like Naru's betrayal worked. Then Tsukino plastered her face on every TV screen, showing us otherwise."

"You don't sound as incensed about that as I believed you would be," said Magneto.

"Yeah, Aunt Erina. Now that he mentions it, you seem to be taking Sailor Moon bouncing back pretty well," added Gai.

"I'm more insulted than anything else, by how Tsukino's keeping her family close, under the Sailor Senshi and X-Men's protection," said Erina. "As if threatening or killing them would gain me anything. No, it would only strengthen her resolve, and it's proven resilient enough as is. In fact, I would've been disappointed if Tsukino truly had crumbled as quickly as we were led to believe. Yet Naru Osaka remains my best shot at driving a stake through the Sailor Moon's heart here and now, not waiting for the naked hate of so many of our countrymen to eat away at her faith. And what I've set in motion may yet give you an opening to make your pitch to Osaka directly, Lehnsherr."

"Remind me again what that might be," demanded Magneto darkly.

Erina's chair whirled around. She smiled up at Magneto broadly. "As I said before, it'll take longer before I get the green light to use my Sentinels en masse. In the meantime, I've convinced enough people to let me unleash a single Sentinel for a trial run. Guess who I said the target will be?"

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It went to show how this movement Sailor Moon started had no real plan behind it, no direction as of yet. Days ago, the other Sailor Senshi railed on Naru for sending so many cops to the hospital, worsening her legal troubles. But now Sailor Chibi-Moon found herself here, more or less looking on as two of their new 'allies' came perilously close to doing the exact same thing. In broad daylight, no less.

Since the news media obligingly broadcasted how Erina Kizachi was furthering her plans by offering DNA scanners to law enforcement, the Senshi decided to turn that against them. It was child's play for Ami and Kitty to rig a device that would emit a false signal. Lure prey into a trap by making them think there was a mutant to apprehend.

And so, one pair of officers was lured into a back alley. One of them immediately had the back of his head introduced to a huge steel spatula. He was out cold instantly. The other drew his gun in a panic, but found himself outmaneuvered as that Chinese girl, with purple hair done up in 'dumplings' similar to Usagi's, ducked and weaved around his gunshots. In desperation, he went for his radio, but with a spinning kick, the girl effortlessly knocked it and his gun away. An instant later, an elbow was driven under his neck, pinning him to a brick wall. "Urgh, damn m-m-m-mutie trash," he gargled.

"Hmph, no need mutant power to deal with weak man using gun as crutch," scoffed the Chinese girl. Chibi-Moon couldn't help but facepalm. Until she met this Shampoo, Chibi-Moon hadn't believed anyone could be as embarrassingly bad with another language as Usagi was with English. Now Chibi-Moon had to put up with this girl mangling her native tongue every time she opened her mouth.

At least the other girl had her head screwed on right, but this Ukyo also had an impulsive streak. "As for me, my tools for cooking have always served me well enough," said Ukyo dangerously. She slid the tip of that spatula in between Shampoo's elbow and the officer's chin. He gargled again as Ukyo forced his head up a little. The spatula's sharpness also let Ukyo draw a little blood. "Now then, us girls didn't bring you boys here with that fake signal because we're lonely. We want information, and we'd appreciate it sooner rather than later."

"I-I-I-I won't spill anything to you mutant-loving cunts!" the cop retorted.

"Ooooh-hoo-hoo," muttered Ukyo. "This one's got some balls, we gotta give him that."

"Hmph, me see how big balls are," said Shampoo. Chibi-Moon resisted the urge to smash her face through a brick wall. Barely. "Ranma now know Sailor Senshi, and Senshi know X-Men. Throw man to gaijin, let claws loose tongue!"

 _Actually, you're on the right track, Shampoo,_ Chibi-Moon silently admitted. _But let's not waste time dragging this meatsack in front of Wolverine. Or even Cable. This trick Kizachi has to shield sensitive people from mutant telepathy, whatever it is, somehow extended to people in law enforcement responsible for rounding up and detaining mutants._

Of course, Chibi-Moon would otherwise use any excuse to confront Cable again. She had come to terms with the fact that there were time-travelers other than herself, and possibly able to circumvent Plu's watchful eye. What still vexed her about Nathan Summers was this future he claimed to come from. Supposedly, he traveled back in time to take down Apocalypse, but the other X-Men mentioned this guy lived for thousands of years. Was he still around in Cable's future? After finally triumphing over the Black Moon Clan, would Crystal Tokyo next have to face this evil that the X-Men possibly feared _MORE_ than Magneto?

Chibi-Moon shook her head. There would be time to pry those answers from Cable's lips later. Right now, it was important to pry what they needed from this cop's lips and get moving, and Shampoo had the right idea.

Strangely, people like this cop and the people Sailor Moon had gathered both cared about honor. The problem was, they had different definitions of honor. Those who answered Sailor Moon's call, like Ukyo and Shampoo, decided keeping Japan from repeating the mistakes of other countries was necessary, to safeguard Japan's honor. People like this cop were manipulated by Kizachi into thinking honor demanded that Japan's populace be protected from potentially dangerous mutants, by any means necessary.

The solution? Take a page out of Wolverine's playbook. Use fear to override his sense of honor, and Chibi-Moon had a good idea how to do it herself.

Clutching Luna-P with one hand, Chibi-Moon stepped forward. "Ladies, ladies... Good job in getting this guy pinned, but I think I should take it from here."

Shampoo scoffed again. "Why we have pink-haired brat babysit us, anyway? What you do that we can't?"

"Other than utilize proper sentence structure and grammar?" sneered Chibi-Moon. "Watch and learn, girls."

With that, Chibi-Moon bounced Luna-P off the ground. After changing form in a puff of pink smoke, it came down into Chibi-Moon's hands as a chainsaw, heart-shaped holes along its length. Chibi-Moon wasted no time revving it up.

Ukyo and Shampoo glanced at each other nervously. They both stepped aside as Chibi-Moon stepped forward, letting the cop slide down the wall. "Everyone seems to think I'm useless, that I don't know anything," said Chibi-Moon in a singsong voice. Anxiety oozed out of this cop now. Good. A sure sign this was already working. "But as they say, us kids are like sponges soaking up knowledge. For instance..." She brought the tip of her chainsaw up to the inside of the cop's thigh, the blades millimeters away from slicing through his pants. "Severing the femoral artery would cause someone to bleed out in minutes. Did you know that?" Then Chibi-Moon slowly brought the tip up to the side of his neck. The cop was fighting a losing battle to remain still, in control. "Slicing up the carotid artery would produce a similar result, and..."

"ACK! Alright, alright! I'll spill w-w-w-whatever it is you want to h-h-hear!" spluttered the cop.

Chibi-Moon gazed down at him slyly. "Including the locations where all the mutants, arrested on trumped-up charges, have been incarcerated?"

The cop nodded anxiously. With a wicked grin, Chibi-Moon turned the chainsaw off and turned to Ukyo and Shampoo. She was pleased to see their dumbfounded, horrified expressions. "Take good notes, girls. Deal with this guy however you wish after he spills everything. I'll be waiting back at you-know-where..."

As Chibi-Moon walked past them, still quite pleased with herself. "Next time, we let pink-haired brat lead with big black ball," said Shampoo suddenly. Chibi-Moon's face fell once more.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Naru gazed at her reflection in the glass door of a cooler in the pizza parlor. It seemed as if every day, she found a new, creative way to use her mutant abilities. In this case, she found another use for her oil slick. By having it ooze up through her scalp, she could straighten her wavy hair, and turn it raven-black. Ditching the hair bow helped, too. It went well with the black leotard, denim shorts and dark leggings. So far, this rudimentary disguise was working. While walking down the streets, in broad daylight, no one gave her so much as a second look.

 _Humans, so easily fooled by appearances,_ Naru thought acidly as she reached in for a couple bottles of soda. _They could never figure out who Sailor Moon really is, and now I'm walking among them again, right under their noses._

It was only to get some fresh provisions, however. In anticipation of her being found out and forced into hiding, her mother bought up rations used by armed forces around the world. The kind that would last for decades without spoiling, along with a year's worth of drinking water. Yet at the same time, Naru still had plenty of money her mother left behind. Not to mention she could sell the jewelry that was hers by right, or her mother's stocks before anyone thought to freeze the assets.

But after just a few days since she whisked Umino away, Naru was in the mood for some fresh food. With a bag of groceries stuffed in one arm, Naru went back up to the front of the parlor, hoping the pizzas were done. The disguise was working, but Naru was in no mood to push her luck too far.

Unfortunately, it didn't look like they were ready. Sighing impatiently, Naru looked around to make sure no one suspected anything. Upon doing so, she noticed the parlor's television, which held the other patrons' attention.

Naru gasped, seeing why. It was another news story of the mass movement that came out of nowhere, thanks to Usagi of all people. And it seemed to get bigger with each passing day. The television showed people marching down a city street. Thousands, perhaps well over ten thousand, shutting down traffic for over a kilometer. They all railed against the recent rush to locate mutants, and incarcerate the ones deemed a threat. Naru felt a shudder of shame. In her anger, she had forgotten that going ballistic could bring something like that about. The X-Men warned her, but she lost her head and ignored them.

The marchers clashed with police using plastic shields, pushing them back. Worse, there were people who obviously approved of this crackdown against her kind. They hurled epithets at the marchers, and when it was apparent that wouldn't deter them, things like rocks and bottles followed.

At one point, someone took a bucket of used motor oil and splattered a group of marchers with it. "Here, you wanna side with that cop-killing freak? Go ahead, now you _LOOK_ like her!" She shrieked. Naru couldn't suppress a scowl and a grunt. She hadn't _KILLED_ any of the cops that attacked her. Taught them a lesson, broke a few bones, but it wasn't worth having their blood on her hands.

That still didn't dissuade the marchers, and to Naru's shock, one of them was Ms. Haruna! Whatever she was yelling back, it was drowned out by other shouts. It was what she suddenly _DID_ that spoke volumes. Some of that oil had splattered over her blazer. Haruna wiped some of it off and spread it over her face, glaring daggers back at the counter-protesters.

Others followed her lead, reaching down for that puddle to wipe up oil to spread on their faces. Naru gasped when she recognized two of them. That old man from the West who had been on that monorail car, and the woman with him! The symbolism was clear: they were showing solidarity with Eclipse, and in turn Sailor Moon.

Naru couldn't believe her eyes. She threatened this woman, hung her from the ceiling of her own classroom. None of that shook Haruna's beliefs, and now others echoed those sentiments, their faces covered with oily smears.

Fog soon shrouded the street, giving the marchers cover to withdraw. Storm or Sailor Mercury's doing, no doubt. One of them was lying in wait, in case things got out of hand. Naru felt another pang of shame. The people she lashed out at were out there, doing something for mutants. And where was she? Just emerging from hiding, waiting for pizza.

Thankfully, it wasn't much longer a wait for those pizzas. The inviting smell of all those meat toppings, necessary for replenishing her oil slick, wafted up her nostrils. Naru rushed to the register to pay for them, eager to leave. When she turned to do so, she saw something else on the television. Coverage had changed from the march to the pleas of a single man. Or more specifically, a fellow mutant: Sunfire.

"My superiors urged me to stay out of the country for the time being, and I will respect their wishes. I do not wish to act against my countrymen, whether they fear my kind or believe they stand in solidarity with mutants. And I certainly will not fight Sailor Moon, a fellow protector of the Land of the Rising Sun," said Sunfire. "However, I do wish to say something, in the hopes it reaches the ears of one fellow mutant: Naru Osaka."

Naru stiffened. She still wanted to just get out of the pizza parlor, but it was like her feet were nailed to the floor.

"I understand your anger, Ms. Osaka, better than you may realize," Sunfire went on. "I too lost my mother, and I felt the rage, the all-consuming obsession to punish those I believed responsible. Only to find I was being tricked into fulfilling the mad wishes of another. In the end, it cost me dearly. I once met your mother, Ms. Osaka. She was a kind, honorable woman. I believe if she could speak now, she would make a plea much like my father's final words to me: 'Live only for the future, not for the past. Forge the tools of peace, from the chains of war'…"

Naru rushed out of the pizza parlor, feeling tears well up. Just what was Sunfire suggesting? She _HAD_ to live for the future. After burning all her bridges, with her mother dead, she had no past to live for! Bring about peace? She tried cleaning up the city of yakuza, and threw away her secret to save total strangers. That was part of what put her in this situation!

 _And does Yoshida honestly expect me to trust human justice? Or just rush back to Usagi, now that she's finally, FINALLY doing something about what us mutants have to go through!?_ Naru fumed inwardly. She trudged on down the street, trying not to look at anyone, just wanting to duck into some dark place and teleport away. _Too little too late, Sailor Moon. I just can't..._

Sharp gasps from some of the people around her broke Naru's concentration, and those were followed by a deafening thud. Then Naru noticed some people running past her in a panic. Tensing up, Naru turned around to see what the big deal was, and nearly dropped everything.

There, in the middle of the street, rose this freaky-looking robot from a crouch, towering at at least eight meters tall. Naru never saw any of the X-Men's footage of them, but instantly knew what this had to be: a Sentinel. It stood there in the small crater it created upon landing, its yellow, glowing eyes coldly surveying the street from behind that plexiglass faceplate. Soon enough, its gaze locked onto Naru, who couldn't suppress a shiver of fear.

 _Ami and Makoto weren't kidding... It's no fun having one of these things zero in on you,_ Naru admitted to herself. For a brief moment, she questioned the wisdom of burning her bridges with the Senshi. _Wait a minute, HOW did this Sentinel zero in on me!? If Xavier couldn't do it with Cerebro, how can Kizachi's DNA scanners do the job!?_

Naru had no time to dope it out. The Sentinel marched toward her, its right arm transforming into a chain gun. Naru's eyes widened. Bullets from handguns and rifles bounced off her, but ammunition from this thing could be another story.

"You can't even go out for pizza these days without some Sentinel crashing the party," spat Naru as her ooze flowed out. After she set all her stuff down, a tendril flung out from her left hand, wrapping around the Sentinel's neck. She pulled a nearby car toward her with another tendril, her other hand digging into the hood. Using the first tendril to pull her up toward the Sentinel before it could aim, Naru screamed, smashing the car into its face.

The Sentinel staggered back with Naru on it, her feet planted on its chest and anchored by a tendril. However, her attack barely made a crack in that faceplate. Fuming, Naru landed punch after punch, determined to break through and rip this Sentinel's eyes out.

Unfortunately, the Sentinel had other ideas. With its left hand, it plucked Naru off its face and threw her down onto the street. "Ow," Naru grumbled dully, already getting up from the crater she made. But an instant later, the Sentinel raised one foot and stomped down on her, grinding Naru into the asphalt.

Naru's teeth clenched as the Sentinel's hydraulics pressed down against her painfully. It was swiftly becoming clear that the Sailor Senshi weren't exaggerating about how dangerous these things were. It took all of her concentration to summon enough dark power for a teleport. Even then, Naru only managed to teleport a few meters away, behind the Sentinel, buying enough breathing room to stand up and possibly plan her next move.

The Sentinel showed no sign of being surprised. Naturally, its computer brain wouldn't let it waste time on confusion. It was simply calculating its next course of action.

It rounded on Naru, aiming its gun arm down at her. Thankfully, Naru bought enough time to call upon more dark energy. She lashed out with bolts of black lightning. The first struck its faceplate, some more of the plexiglass crumbling away, while others slammed into its torso. Once again, it staggered back a little, but Naru scowled, getting the feeling she wouldn't hold it back for long. It took three of the Senshi, plus Tuxedo Kamen, to force back that other one. Retreat was looking more enticing, but teleportation was still problematic. Could she teleport all the way back, hurt as she was?

The Sentinel got a bead on her again, raising its right arm and firing. Naru tried to get out of the way, but some rounds clipped her leg before she could duck behind a van. Teeth clenched, Naru looked down at it. Even these bullets couldn't penetrate her skin, but it still hurt like hell, and she could see welts where her leggings were ripped through.

"That's it!" cried Naru. The Sentinel was still firing, and would shred her cover into scrap in a few more seconds. Might as well put it to use before then. With another howl, she picked up the van, keeping it between her and the Sentinel, at least until she hurled it at its face. Fueled by her anger, Naru found the strength to teleport right behind the Sentinel as it stumbled back. Before it could recover, Naru ensnared its neck with oily tendrils, pulling down with all her might. At last, the Sentinel lost its balance and toppled backwards.

Its head landed close to her, and Naru jumped onto its faceplate. Howling in fury, Naru drove a fist down through a crack in the plexiglass, and then let ooze flow. She had to act fast, before the Sentinel could get up. Forcing herself to concentrate, blocking out the pain and fury as best she could, Naru willed her oil slick to dig deep into its machinery.

It only took a moment for the Sentinel recovered and began to rise, but its fate was sealed. Naru called upon whatever dark power she could muster, and let it flow down into the Sentinel's head. This Sentinel was probably built to withstand normal electric attacks, given how Sailor Jupiter had trouble with the other one. But hers was dark energy, always an enigma, so how would Kizachi know how to properly counter that?

Her hunch soon proved correct. The Sentinel writhed as Naru overloaded its systems, and then fell still. The light in those horrible yellow eyes staring up at Naru faded away soon after that.

Naru stood there on the Sentinel's shattered faceplate, basking in her triumph. _Maybe I was too hasty, wishing to have the Senshi back,_ she thought, quite pleased with herself. _It took nearly half their team to drive one away. I crushed one single-handedly! And Professor X thought I wasn't ready to tackle one of these overgrown action figures!? HA!_

As Naru stared down into the Sentinel's lifeless eyes, she wondered just what to do with it now. Perhaps rip its head off, to keep as a trophy, and leave its decapitated body as another reminder that one doesn't screw around with Eclipse. Then, another possibility came to Naru. As she struggled to make a decision, she heard a shifting sound. Back from where she had set down all her stuff.

Scowling, Naru looked back to see some guy standing over everything she bought. He even had the nerve to take a slice of pizza! Without a single word, Naru sent out tendrils to snatch everything back. The guy stared down at where the grocery bags and pizza boxes once were, befuddled. And then a tendril latched onto the pizza slice, yanking it from his hands.

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Fighting to remain patient, Sailor Uranus absentmindedly fidgeted with her Space Sword. Chibi-Moon and two of their new 'recruits' hit paydirt earlier today. They had locations of where rounded-up mutants were being stashed, and now it was time to hit them all. Simultaneously. Along with letting them swiftly whisk them away before the authorities could react, it would be a demoralizing blow. And unlike all the other battles the Sailor Senshi ever waged, they had to focus on the psychological.

Something Uranus kept reminding herself of as she struggled to maintain her focus. She thought she was succeeding, but then Neptune laid a hand on her shoulder. Then again, Neptune could always sense her inner turmoil, no matter how hard she tried to bury it. "Any second now, Uranus," she said softly. "Everyone else is in position or getting into position. And as luck would have it, our 'decoy' is making her approach."

The pair stood looking over a building not too far from the police headquarters of the district. Those mercenary units called in had set up a series of 'black sites', but some mutants were brazenly thrown into holding cells at this headquarters, a mockery of justice.

 _A bit ironic,_ Uranus mused. _One of the reasons we first fought the X-Men was my belief that Eclipse had to face justice here. I still do. But now I see far worse will come about if the Senshi don't make a stand, lash out at the supposed peacekeepers. Usagi, let's hope we didn't steer each other wrong_...

Looking over to the headquarters' roof, Uranus could make out two figures clad in black, blending into the darkness now that the sun was down. Still, moonlight briefly gleamed in the glasses one of them wore as they jacked into the headquarters' electrical systems. The other was the alien with turquoise hair like Michiru's. There was something else familiar about her...

Dismissing it for the moment, Uranus looked down to the street. A girl with fiery red hair done up in the back with a pigtail approached the headquarters, sporting a form-fitting qipao that hugged her frame invitingly. She faked a limp and fatigue, and sported some convincing fake burn marks, to make it look like she was a victim of a mutant attack.

Once she went in, Uranus looked back to the other roof. There was a brief series of flashes from a flashlight. That was the signal. In a few moments, all the street lamps around the headquarters would go dark, hiding their approach. But their most important task was to compromise the police's security systems, and made it impossible for them to call for help. Not that any would come from the mercenaries the Japanese government hired. Soon, a good chunk of them would have their hands full as well.

Uranus smiled to herself, relishing the thought despite how distasteful this should be. Again, Neptune could sense her unease. "This is it, Uranus. You ready?" Neptune asked softly, just as the lamps began to wink out.

Uranus snorted. "So many of our new 'recruits' have antagonized or attacked police and these mercenaries already, the Senshi are wanted for breaking into that studio... What's breaking into police headquarters at this point?"

"Point taken," said Neptune sweetly "If we're going to tarnish our reputations further... Let's do it with style!" Neptune stepped over the roof's edge and kicked off, sailing down toward the front entrance. With a sigh, Uranus followed Neptune down to the street below.

As they peered through the glass doors of the front entrance, they saw nearly a dozen male cops, clearly infatuated with their buxom new arrival. She was quite an actor, putting on a show of crying and being fearful, relaying a bogus tail of barely escaping a bunch of nasty mutants. That is, until most of the lights within the front lobby went dead. That was Uranus and Neptune's cue to make their move. They barged through the front doors, collecting power for their attacks.

"World Shaking!" roared Uranus.

"Deep Submerge!" cried Neptune.

Of course, since they were dealing with normal humans, they had to scale back the power of their attacks considerably. Still, Uranus's attack swept up a good number of them, rattling them to the marrow of their bones. Neptune's slammed them against the back wall with its force, submersing them in seawater for a moment until it all faded.

Unfortunately, three of them, who had been closest to the pigtailed girl, reacted just in time to avoid being swept up. They drew their guns, demanding the two Senshi get down on the ground while telling the girl to stay back. In an eyeblink, the pigtailed girl's façade vanished. With a scowl, she grabbed the wrist of the closest cop, slamming it against the desk. The sound of his wrist snapping was swallowed up by the gun going off, a bullet going through the back wall.

The other two looked over at her, dumbfounded. With a loud "Ki-yah!", she rounded on them. A swift spinning kick knocked another cop to the floor, and his gun out of his hands. Like scarlet-shaded lightning, she rushed at the last one. Utterly baffled, he couldn't take aim, giving her an opening to chuck him over her shoulder. He ended up going right through the spot where a bullet went into the wall. "You missed some," said the pigtailed girl dryly as she turned to eye the two Senshi, hands on her hips.

Neptune eyed the hole in the wall this girl just made, then turned to Uranus. "You sure she's not a mutant herself?"

"The scanners Kizachi gave the police would've detected her approach if she was," Uranus whispered back. "In any case, does it matter if she's one of them, considering what we've come to do?"

Neptune nodded as the two made their way into the front lobby. As they rushed toward a hallway, eager to secure the entire headquarters, they heard grunts from the girl. "Don't think I didn't feel that hand working its way down toward my butt!" she howled, kicking the cop with a broken wrist with her high-heeled sandal. "Better be glad I ain't one of these mutants, or I'd be liable to rearrange your internal organs!"

The two of them just gazed at her impatiently for a moment. "Feel better yet?" Neptune asked at length.

The pigtailed girl glanced up at Neptune, smiling. "Much," she said simply before pushing past them, taking it upon herself to take point. Uranus glared at her back. Just who did this girl think she was?

Like the front lobby, the rest of the building was plunged in darkness. Uranus and Neptune could navigate the darkened hallways just fine, thanks to the plans Mercury dug up. The dark didn't hinder the pigtailed girl either. More often than not, when they came across other cops, she rushed in to dispatch them before Uranus and Neptune got the chance.

She wasn't the only mysterious variable here. They hardly knew a thing about the two on the roof. But no doubt Sailor Moon would insist they all deserved some trust, since they trusted in the Senshi enough to sign up for all this.

Uranus still had difficulty believing that thus far, they were getting results. When she unloaded on Sailor Moon that night, it was out of desperation, before she sank into the depths of despair, dragging the rest of the team with her. How their fortunes had turned. Not only were the Sailor Senshi bouncing back, but they had gathered allies they never dreamed existed.

Still, it bothered Uranus how they had to break into a police headquarters like this, especially after making a fuss about Eclipse needing to face justice here in Japan. But Kizachi and Magneto had schened for so long, few options were left to them. Much like Magneto himself felt, they had to be ready to respond by any means necessary. That left an ever more bitter taste in Uranus's mouth, that realization. If this went on, what would make them any different than him and his followers?

 _We're not out for blood, that's what,_ Uranus reminded herself. _Neptune told me about that footage of the Acolytes... We're not like that. Of course, this girl wasn't above breaking a few bones..._

Uranus glared at the pigtailed girl's back again, then looked ahead as she tried to listen for any more resistance. The rest of their team was also sweeping the place while its occupants were confused and vulnerable, but there could still be stragglers. As she listened, all Uranus could hear was some strange howling. Like forceful winds blowing within the halls. Uranus concentrated again, trying to sense the winds. Indeed, the winds were turbulent, driven by a power other than her own!

This realization hit just as they approached a corner. Suddenly, those winds howled again. A pair of mercenaries had their backsides slammed against the wall. Before they could get up, lightning lit up the halls. Their screams soon faded as they slumped to the floor, acrid smoke rising from their bodies, but Uranus could see telltale signs of breathing.

Any concern about their condition, however, was swiftly replaced with shock when their turquoise-haired ally _FLOATED_ into view, staring down at the fallen mercenaries. The other one stepped up a second later, unconcerned about that. Both wore black clothing and beanies, and while this girl with short, sandy-blond hair had glasses, the turquoise-haired one had dark goggles. But then, the latter took off her eyewear and beanie, revealing deep blue eyes and... a pair of small, yellow horns protruding from that turquoise hair!?

The pigtailed girl was still completely indifferent, in complete contrast to Neptune. "How could we not realize it before?" she whispered to Uranus. "Could this really be..."

"As long as she helps us free all the mutant prisoners and load them into police vans, I don't think Sailor Moon will care. So neither should we," Uranus replied quietly.

"Yeah, the sooner we're all on the road, the better," Neptune agreed. "Just promise you won't have your van go at 180 kilometers per hour."

"Like we did in bed last night?" Uranus replied with a grin. Neptune just glared back at her.

"That the last of the stragglers?" the pigtailed-girl asked the other two recruits impatiently.

"As far as we can tell," said the girl with glasses. She was from another rich family, the Hououjis if Uranus remembered right. "And by now, Sailor Moon and Sailor Chibi-Moon should be done securing the lower level, where the mutants are being held prisoner."

"Then let's go help them get the mutants ready to roll out, Fuu," said the turquoise-haired girl. That voice, heard so often on the news... It really was Lum Invader!

"Lead the way, ladies," said the pigtailed girl brusquely, stepping over the fallen mercenaries and forcing Uranus and Neptune to catch up. Uranus wondered if Neptune was beginning to grow frustrated like she was. First the X-Men show up and prove, in the most infuriating way, how they were easily a match for them. And then from out of nowhere, at Sailor Moon's urgent plea, emerge more people as capable as they, and weren't afraid of acting like it.

As the five of them descended some stairs, Uranus was snapped out of her tumultuous thoughts by the sound of Sailor Moon's whining, just beyond a set of double doors. Uranus pushed past the others to shove them open, greeted by the sight of Sailor Moon squatting a few meters beyond, bawling.

"Oh, get over it you hypochondriac!" spat Chibi-Moon. "That bullet barely grazed your thigh. One could hardly even call it a flesh wound!" Uranus looked around, at all the bodies of mercenaries sprawled about. If that was the worst injury suffered, these two did a commendable job cleaning house.

"Yeah, what she said," grumbled the pigtailed girl.

Sighing, Uranus looked up and past Sailor Moon, at the rows of cells... No, more like cages that these pigs threw these mutants arrested on trumped-up charges into. Well, they were here to rectify this injustice. Before she could step over to the cells, Uranus saw Lum and Fuu approach a series of computer systems the mercenaries set up. Uranus figured this could be a wealth of tactical information Mercury could later use.

Fuu was obviously thinking along the same lines. "If we can spare a little time, perhaps we could break into these systems too, Lum, and use the information stored within..." Fuu was cut off by the sound of electricity crackling. Lum lobbed one bolt of lightning after another at the mercenaries' equipment. Shrugging her shoulders, Fuu nervously said, "Or we could go for instant, short-term gratification and just smash them all so no one can use this data again. Either works."

Fuu reached into some pouch, and somehow pulled out a ridiculously huge sword, longer than the girl was tall. It looked relatively heavy, but Fuu swung it with ease as she sliced up whatever computers Lum hadn't fried.

The pigtailed girl glanced back at Uranus. "And back there, it looked like you two were fixing to give _ME_ a hard time for busting shit up," she muttered dryly, her arms folded.

Deciding to let it drop, Uranus moved to the first cell and thrust her Space Sword into the lock to pry it open. Meanwhile, Sailor Moon tossed her tiara to shred the locks off the other row of cells.

Stepping inside the cell she opened, Uranus's heart sank upon seeing a young girl, crying, some sort of muzzle fixed over her mouth. A quick glance over into the next cell made Uranus's pity give way to rage. A boy about the same age, sporting signs of being beaten. It was suddenly clear to Uranus that, whatever the consequences, the Sailor Senshi and their new friends did the right thing tonight.

But what about the one mutant on the minds of all the Senshi? Naru had left a trail of bodies beaten worse than this, some who deserved it, some who did not. Would the Senshi's actions on behalf of Japan's mutants ever woo Naru back? And even if they did, should she ultimately answer for everything she did as Eclipse?

No answers came to Uranus as she looked back to the girl in the cell with her. Those nagging questions could wait until later. For now, they had to settle for giving these mutants some hope. The Outer Senshi were charged with countering threats from beyond this system. But now, destiny called upon them to face a threat from within. And tonight, they took a crucial step forward.

Uranus knelt down, beckoning to the child. "Please, don't be afraid. The Sailor Senshi are here to help. We're going to take you someplace safe," she said, hoping she sounded empathetic. After a moment, it looked like it was working. The girl took a few tentative steps forward, then threw herself into Uranus's arms, her cries muffled by that muzzle.

Meanwhile, Fuu had forced her way into the other cell. Uranus could tell it was her, as she sensed something amiss on the winds around her. Looking over to that cell again, Uranus was amazed to see the boy's injuries had vanished! Just what kind of power over winds did this girl command!?

It didn't matter, Uranus realized, so long as she and the others helped the Senshi get these mutants away from here. Looking back down at the girl, Uranus said, "Anyway, why don't we get that off?"

It was securely fastened, but with both hands, Uranus was able to rip it off. But just as she did, Chibi-Moon cried out, "Wait, Uranus! You don't want that off her!"

Uranus looked out through the bars at Chibi-Moon. "Why not? Does this one breathe fire or something?" she asked, confused. When she looked back to the girl, it felt like she just stuck her face in a raging blizzard.

The girl staggered back, hands over her mouth, looking quite embarrassed. Uranus used that moment to wipe the frost off her face, though small bits of ice stubbornly stuck in her hair. "Not exactly," muttered Chibi-Moon dejectedly.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Umino adjusted the overhead lamp again, hoping a different angle would help with patching together this transmission. Not that it was particularly urgent that he do so. It wasn't like he was going to drive anywhere anytime soon. It was just something to keep his mind occupied as the days slowly went by since Naru shepherded him away.

When he first learned Naru was a mutant and resolved to help her through it, messing with cars sort of came along with the territory. When hunting down junked or abandoned cars, Umino would cannibalize them for parts before having Naru use them for weightlifting, or practice using her strength on. And now, the people who used to run this place... There were many car projects left unfinished, gathering dust. Umino looked over to the Toyota Celica in the process of having its transmission taken out and fixed. So Umino took it upon himself to finish the job. Again, it wasn't like he had much else to do. Naru insisted she would take care of everything, make sure he was safe.

Of course, Umino could do plenty to get this place back in working order. "Maybe that's what I should be doing instead of mucking with these gears," he grumbled to himself as he adjusted the lamp again. "It's still ungodly dark everywhere in this place. Just getting the lights working again..."

Umino sighed upon realizing that Naru probably preferred it dark, anyway. It would fit her lingering mood. Losing her mother, feeling that she had no choice but to go into hiding...

He didn't like how much she had changed. When this whole mess began, she was an emotional wreck, on the brink of shattering. Umino took it upon himself to help her adjust to having mutant powers, to build up her confidence. He realized he may have done his job _TOO_ well. Naru was grown colder, determined to knock down everyone she deemed in her way, acting as if she could take on the whole world and itching to try. Before, Umino joked about her taking on the Hulk one day. Now Naru seemed convinced she could, despite how the Sailor Senshi and X-Men would've had her if not for her trump card.

And what had Naru left in her wake? A country already fearful of its growing mutant population... Her rampage threw gasoline on the fire! Sure, they later learned of that stunt Usagi pulled to plea to the entire nation. Now, people were finally rising to counter this wave of fear and hatred. In the end, would it be enough?

So many questions, so much uncertainty over the future. Umino used to not worry about the future, convinced that Naru would always be there with him. But she was so different now. Was she still the girl he loved? He was still willing to do anything for her, and yet...

Umino grumbled to himself, messing with the transmission some more. Yes, fixing up these cars was a lifeline now. The more he could tinker with them, the less his mind would wander, force him to face these troublesome questions.

"I do hope you get that one working again," came Naru's voice suddenly. "Let's just say I've recently acquired a taste for sporty cars."

Umino set down his tools, not yet ready to turn around. Every time he looked in Naru's eyes... He could still get lost in the eyes of the girl he loved, yet she was becoming someone completely different. That didn't stop the inviting smell of fresh pizza from wafting over to him, though. Feeling quite hungry, Umino was about to turn around, but Naru set a box down next to the transmission assembly. "Saved a box or two for you. I... ate the other five," she added sheepishly.

"Uh, thanks," Umino said awkwardly as he wiped grease off his hands. Once he felt they were clean enough, he flipped open the box to take a slice. As he ate, Naru walked around him, glancing down at the gears in the transmission. There was a strange look in her eyes. "Uh, sorry to say, but I'm nowhere near ready to have you stuff this back under that Celica..."

"That's not what was on my mind," said Naru. "I'm just thinking here, throwing things out... Another name for a transmission is a gearbox, right?"

"Uh, yeah," said Umino. "What's your point?"

Naru looked back to him, smiling. That smile... Not as warm as it used to be. In fact, at the moment, it kind of gave Umino a chill. "Well, we need another name for you, Umino. I think 'Gearbox' would be perfect."

Now Umino was just plain confused. "W-W-W-Why would I need another name?"

"The yakuza stuck me with the name 'Eclipse', but hey, I've learned to live with it," said Naru. "Let's face it, the name fits. And what's more, it strikes fear into people, let's them know I mean business. If we're a team, Umino, you need a name like that too."

"OK, this is getting ridiculous," said Umino. "First of all, why's _THAT_ a good name for me? I mean, in other countries I think it means..."

"The transmission is supposed to convert power ratios and torque, right?" Naru cut in, hands on her hips. "You helped me figure out how I can use all my powers. In a way, you converted my power. Plus, the name just conjures images of working with machines, like you can build anything. That certainly suits you. Eclipse and Gearbox... Nice ring to it, don't you think? I'm the brawn, you're the brains."

At the moment, Naru was behaving like Usagi of all people, getting a weird idea and sticking with it. Umino had no idea what to say as he stared at Naru. His gaze soon drifted down, and he finally noticed the holes in Naru's leggings, not to mention the swelts. "Naru, you got shot at again!? What happened up there!? Oh, I told you going out so soon was a bad idea..." To both Umino's amazement and chagrin, Naru just chuckled. "What's so funny!?" Umino demanded.

"It's just so like you, Umino. That's the first thing you notice, me hurt. Not the other thing besides groceries I brought back."

"O-O-Other thing?" Umino stammered. That was when he saw it, looking past Naru. What could only be the head of one of Kizachi's new Sentinels ripped clean off, its faceplate smashed. " _NARU_ , have you gone _COMPLETELY_ nuts!?" Umino cried. "Bringing that here... If it's got a tracking beacon, Erina Kizachi will know where we are!"

"Umino, I told you _NOTHING_ can track us here, and you even confirmed it," Naru reminded him sternly. "Not when I teleported it directly in here. I'm already getting better at that sort of thing. Instead, I'm betting you can tear this sucker open and figure out where _KIZACHI'S_ stuffed the rest of her toys."

"I'm... flattered by your faith in my technical skill," Umino said sheepishly. "But even if I'm that good, what makes you think it's possible?"

"Ami and Makoto said that after they trashed the other one, it seemed to know where to go for repairs," said Naru. "Maybe there's still data you could pull up. Neither the X-Men or the Sailor Senshi have been able to figure out where Kizachi's slapping these things together. Here's our chance!"

"But why? I thought you just wanted to lie low as much as possible," said Umino.

"Open your eyes, Umino!" cried Naru. "We've seen the news, the protests against all these new anti-mutant measures... Bless their hearts, but it won't change anything! A Sentinel was sent after me in broad daylight! Usagi was right! The only way we'll be safe is to strike before they're _ALL_ let loose!"

At least what Naru was saying made perfect sense. "So, you want me to break into its data core, assuming it isn't damaged too badly, then see if the location of their headquarters is stored somewhere? Then, you go destroy them while they're inactive?"

" _DESTROY_ them!?" scoffed Naru. Umino's blood chilled as he saw a vindictive look in Naru's eyes. "The X-Men and Sailor Senshi will still be looking for us, along with the Japanese government. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if the latter makes a deal with this Hand that Logan mentioned. We'll need a deterrent other than my cute self. No, I want us to take _CONTROL_ of Kizachi's Sentinels!"

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Can't believe it took me the rest of the month to finally get this chapter out. Then again, considering it was a mega-crossover chapter showcasing so many of the new recruits, I had to take my time. Still, I enjoyed the time spent. Before, I enjoyed writing about the Sailor Senshi discovering what the X-Men could do, and now they see there's been people just as extraordinary in their midst all this time.

What made me choose the anime I did, however? Well...

 **Magic Knight Rayearth** : My gateway drug into anime, and still my favorite. This was always going to make it in.

 **Card Captor Sakura** : Since the above was CLAMP's debut, it made sense to use the magical girl series they're best known for.

 **YuYu Hakusho** : Naoko Takeuchi married its creator, so _**DUH**_...

 **Ranma ½** : My second-favorite anime, and I remember seeing these characters appear in _Sailor Moon_ stories all the time when I was young. Now it's my turn.

 **Urusei Yatsura** : And if I'm using what's arguably Rumiko Takahashi's most popular creation, might as well include the one that put her on the map.

It was going to be even crazier. Originally, I was going to watch the rest of _Love Hina_ to include its cast, do a little research to throw in Naruto even though I hate the character, and even add Arale Norimaki. Yes, Akira Toriyama's little robot girl that cameos in runs of _**DRAGON BALL**_. I scaled it back to these five, though, since there's the ones I felt could best coexist with the Marvel Universe.

So long,

Grey-X


	26. In Plain Sight

**Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse**

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 26: In Plain Sight

4-15-2018

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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When Usagi got up in front of that camera, now just a week ago, she had no idea what it would do. If it would even do any good. It was little more than a desperation move, scrambling to find _ANYTHING_ to blunt the momentum of Kizachi's plan to make Japan implode into chaos. She was closer to completely giving in to despair than Haruka would ever know. After everything she saw, after witnessing so many people vent such hate at Naru after saving that monorail car, Usagi found it hard to imagine enough people would rally behind her. Did these people really know Sailor Moon, understand what she stood for? Would they really be willing to put things on the line for someone who was still essentially a stranger to them?

Usagi had never been happier to see how wrong she was. In just one week, the dynamic within the whole country changed. People who agreed with her, but had been too uneasy and thus remained silent, were out there in force. Hundreds of thousands, letting everyone else know they would not let Japan shame itself by repeating the mistakes of other countries. And with each passing day, their numbers grew.

Already, the Sailor Senshi had an impressive coalition behind them. Usagi looked around the subbasement level of the corporate headquarters still under construction, graciously lent to them by its owner. It was bustling with activity, especially in the days after the Senshi and their 'recruits' freed all those incarcerated mutants.

Many of them were swiftly relocated here. It had been gloomy before, the construction not quite finished. Hardly any lighting had been installed, and the subbasement had an overall skeletal feel. In this part Usagi and Chibiusa were walking through, lamps were set up in what was essentially a hastily-assembled infirmary.

Thanks to Professor X relaying them his findings with Cerebro, they could easily find mutants in the general area of Tokyo. It was a race, getting to them before mercenaries and cops armed with Kizachi's scanners could. The X-Men were essentially in a battle of wits with Kizachi too, and Usagi was determined to help them win. It went well beyond the enemy of an enemy being a friend.

Oftentimes, however, they weren't quite in time, leading to skirmishes with police and these mercenaries claiming to specialize in fighting super-beings like mutants. That led to an infirmary like this being necessary, to check up on the mutants brought out of tough spots, refugees in their own country. Usagi watched as this chiropractor, from the Nerima ward if she remembered right, examined one patient. A statuesque, beautiful nurse, who had been working at Tomobiki High School before this, was preparing an injection for another.

 _I still can't believe so many people trust in Sailor Moon enough to do this,_ Usagi mused silently, in wonder. _Some of them putting careers on the line, just because Sailor Moon begged them too. But we're getting more and more mutants, too. Can we keep them safe here long enough? It'll be some time before we can expose Kizachi and these people can safely go..._

Usagi felt Chibiusa tug her hand. Looking down, Usagi saw it in her eyes. She was worried about the same thing. The Sailor Senshi were in this for the long haul, just like with all their old enemies. But Sentinels were unlike any monsters their old foes had at their disposal, and Kizachi had an entirely different endgame in mind. In a way, Usagi found it more horrifying than anything Beryl and the others cooked up.

The pair left the infirmary, heading for the stairs leading up. The subbasement parts around the stairs at least looked completed. As Usagi turned a corner and the stairs came into view, someone approached from another direction. A boy of high-school age with brown-hair, though now it had frost encrusted in it, as did his face.

A laugh echoed within the room. Usagi saw that pigtailed redhead girl from the other night's raid, leaning on a pillar with arms folded. Though now, she had clothes that looked like they belonged on a guy instead, and fit loosely. "I see it was your turn to babysit Little Miss Blizzard Breath, huh?" she jeered.

The boy glared at her while wiping frost from his face. "Actually, I shouldn't complain too much. It's actually an improvement over getting hit with flame breath in the face all the damn time." He then glared down at something else. A little toddler had followed the boy out, one with a weird tiger-print diaper and a baseball cap covering poofy, turquoise hair. He just pulled down his eyelids and blew the boy a raspberry.

 _Some of these people aren't exactly getting along,_ Usagi realized as she walked up the stairs. _Yet they're still willing to help total strangers all the same, just because I got on TV and asked them to..._

The notion was still an uneasy one for Usagi. Did she really deserve such trust? Kizachi had made a point of emphasizing how much of this was her fault, that Sailor Moon ignored the ticking time bomb for too long. After how Naru turned on them all, she had to admit Kizachi had a point.

Naru... Where was she now? What was she doing with Umino? Well, given how she still loved him deeply, Usagi had a suspicion, but... No, she still had to prove to Naru she had more than just him, that her old friends still refused to give up on her. Did she know about what unfolded in the last week? The marches, the raids? Plenty in Japan had shown they were willing to forgive her. Was Naru's heart so dark now, she'd refuse to forgive anyone?

Unfamiliar voices from behind the door atop the stairs snapped Usagi out of her troubled thoughts. "Sakura, don't push things, OK?" came a young boy's voice. "Dash was never meant to be used that way. If something went wrong when a bunch of guys with _GUNS_ were around..."

Curious, Usagi opened the door just as a group of four kids barely older than Chibiusa walked by. The one who spoke was the only boy among them. She recognized him from that initial meeting at the manor house, and two of the girls with him. But there was a third girl Usagi had never seen before. Usagi would remember if she had, given how her black hair was done up in odangos like hers.

"I had to get those people away, and fast!" protested the girl with short, brown hair. "So I went for fast. It was the only thing I could think of!"

"Well, at least they're safe, now that Tomoyo's mother is letting the Sailor Senshi use this place," said the boy sternly. Usagi wondered if he had any clue the Senshi's leader was watching them walk down the hall.

"Mother was happy to let it be used for such a good cause," said the girl with long, black hair, no doubt this Tomoyo Daidouji, the company's heir. "But Sakura, if she knew you were taking such risks... Please be careful, Sakura. After all, your new battle costume isn't quite finished. No telling when I'll be able to complete it."

"Yeah, I bet even _YOU_ have trouble finding Kevlar plates in just the right shade of pink," quipped that new girl. "Oh well, I'm here to watch Sakura's back until then. Just glad I flew in from Hong Kong before I missed the good stuff."

The brown-haired girl scratched her head nervously. "Uhh, Meiling... You _DID_ hear about how a Sentinel showed up trying to catch Eclipse, right? And there'll probably be more of them. Ugh, of all the enemies of those superheroes from overseas... Why couldn't it have been something easier? Like that goblin on the rocket platform, or the guy with the rings?"

"Hey, please do _NOT_ take that guy lightly, Sakura!" cried the boy. "Trust me, the Mandarin is bad news, and..." He stopped suddenly and rounded on the spot, staring right at Usagi. There was a... stoniness to the boy's gaze that made Usagi uneasy. The girl called Sakura then stopped and looked over to her and Chibiusa, as if she suddenly realized something as well. The way these kids talked... These clearly weren't ordinary kids, and Haruka even told her as much. Did they sense something about the two of them as well?

The boy stared at the two of them a moment longer, then finally turned and motioned for the other girls to follow him. Usagi didn't know why that kid made her so anxious, but she let out a sigh of relief all the same. "I wonder what their deal was?" said Chibiusa once the kids were out of earshot.

"If they helped us get mutants here for protection, and got the CEO of the Daidouji toy company to lend us this place, does it matter?" Usagi hissed under her breath.

"Daidouji's company, the Ryuuzakis, the Mendou conglomerate..." Chibiusa whispered back. "Well, it's good that Sailor Moon won over so many people with deep pockets. _REALLY_ deep pockets."

"Anyway, I think we've wasted enough time here," said Usagi. "Everything looks OK here. Haruka and Michiru are coming to give us a lift, and it sounded like they had some news they wanted to give us in person."

There wasn't much activity on the ground level. Sonomi Daidouji had ordered construction halted, and her employees had yet to even begin moving their operations to this new building. This would give the Sailor Senshi plenty of time to sort things out, or so Usagi hoped.

Soon enough, Usagi and Chibiusa found the front entrance, a wondrous display of windows. The front doors were glass as well. As Usagi hoped, Haruka's Ferrari was parked right up front.

"Well, Usagi says you two got some big news for us," said Chibiusa as the two of them climbed into the back seat. "Unless someone's figured out where Kizachi's slapping together those toys of hers, I don't see what could be so important."

Instead of looking chastised, Michiru looked back to them with a wry smile. "Funny you mention that, Chibiusa..."

Usagi could hardly believe it. "Y-Y-Y-You mean, the info you helped Logan claw out of that guy, and Minako h-h-h-hitting up her old Interpol buddies... W-W-W-We got her!?"

"Pretty sure we got her," said Haruka, unable to keep a hint of cheeriness out of her voice. "Just like Minako said, it was something connected to Nephrite's Masato Sanjoin identity. A bit of property he left behind on the outskirts of Tokyo. We'll need to do a bit of recon, but underneath this place... An ideal spot to clandestinely slap those things together, right in plain sight."

"Sounds like you want to hit it tonight," said Usagi.

"There's not really any rush, now that our little insurrection's thrown the country into chaos," said Haruka. "It's not like we'll be seeing scores of them marching down the streets tomorrow morning, but with how Kizachi was cleared to send one after Naru... A reminder that we've only bought so much time."

"If only we could locate Naru and Umino as well," said Michiru. "But she's proven as elusive as ever." Michiru looked down at something. Usagi wondered what it was, but then Michiru brought up her Deep Aqua Mirror. And then Michiru did something Usagi never expected to see. Michiru began smacking the side of it, like one would slap around a piece of equipment not working quite right. "Ugh, this thing always starts to act funny when we... come around..." Michiru fell silent as she slowly turned to look out her window.

"Michiru, what are..." Haruka began, but when she looked out the left side of the car, she stopped as well. Also, a hurt, horrified look was etched on her face.

"I don't get it. Just where..." Usagi began, but then she looked out the window herself. They were driving past where Mugen Academy once stood. Most of the disaster area was still there, cordoned off with gates and yellow tape. But the otherworldly, evil aura that probably still permeated the place...

"You two thinking what I'm thinking?" asked Chibiusa suddenly.

"What are you thinking?" demanded Usagi.

Chibiusa shot her an annoyed, disapproving look. Michiru simply said, "Probably that there's still so much lingering evil energy, it'd be perfect camouflage for someone with dark power teleporting in and out."

"That's the answer. Some of the Death Busters' old headquarters must have survived the decimation of Mugen Academy," said Haruka. "This could also be why Cable and Xavier couldn't find Umino with telepathy. They would be scanning above ground, not below it. And there's probably enough of their equipment still functioning, screening out telepathic intrusion. Clever, clever girl."

"Just like Kizachi, then. Hiding in plain sight, right under our noses!" spat Chibiusa.

Usagi stared out at the huge crater still sitting in the middle of the city, her heart suddenly heavy. The site of one of the Sailor Senshi's victories, but also one of their greatest tragedies. They lost Sailor Pluto and Hotaru that day. But now they knew Naru had fled back there...

"And we're going in, to finally talk some sense into her," Usagi said resolutely.

"But Usagi, the Sentinels! We've got to go after them first!" protested Chibiusa.

"We can go in and smash those up anytime now. For the moment, they're going nowhere," said Usagi. "But Mugen Academy... Once we let something get a foothold there and grow out of control, and it cost us. Just like how doubt and anger festered in Naru's heart, and I didn't see it until it was too late. No, not this time."

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The strain was getting to him, so Charles Xavier powered down the Blackbird's Cerebro unit. He took a moment to steady his breathing before removing the helmet. For days, he had helped Sailor Moon's bid to keep Japan's mutants safe until she could expose Erina Kizachi. And given how Cerebro was unable to locate all the incarcerated mutants for them, that was further proof that Kizachi was working with Magneto, as if the X-Men needed any more.

It went well beyond how helping the Sailor Senshi was in the X-Men's best interests. What Usagi Tsukino was doing now... Nothing in their agreement demanded this. It was as if exposing what Kizachi Technologies was up to was secondary to her. Even finding a way to reach Naru, as important as that was to her, took a backseat to her desire to keep mutants safe. Xavier didn't even need telepathy to know this desire would burn within her even if she wasn't this reincarnated princess, born so radically different. No, that was just how big Usagi's heart was. And seeing that passion burning bright in this girl... It helped rekindle hope within him in turn. Very few things could do that these days.

"Have you located any more mutants within Tokyo and its neighboring wards, Professor?" Hank suddenly asked. He lumbered over to his console, tinkering with something, but the relative darkness of the Blackbird's interior made it hard for Xavier to make it out.

"A few more," said Xavier. "But let's face it, most of them have either been scooped up by the Japanese government or the Sailor Senshi. With the latter constantly taking them back from the former. Fortunately, you've insured the reverse will not happen anytime soon."

Hank chuckled. "For now, at least. The two locations the Senshi are using to hide these young mutants have devices to jam those sensors Kizachi handed out like Halloween candy. However, it's no guarantee that will keep the authorities in Japan in the dark forever."

"Then the sooner we find Kizachi's Sentinels, and expose how she's been manipulating the Japanese this whole time, the better," came a stern voice from below. An instant later, Luna hopped up onto Cerebro's console.

"There is no need for impatience. The Sailor Senshi have already accomplished more than even they realize, Luna," said Xavier.

"The Professor is quite right, my dear," added Hank. "Given how Kizachi is working so closely with Magneto, one can surmise that she sought to manipulate the authorities into initiating this crackdown. Just so he could later liberate these young mutants. Such a power play would ultimately aid him politically. Instead, the Sailor Senshi have done so, thus stealing Magneto's thunder."

"And all that will go down the drain once those Sentinels launch!" spat Luna. "I mean, another one already has! And I wouldn't put it past Kizachi to have that Sentinel throw the fight to make everyone even _MORE_ scared of Naru, and mutants in general! She's been manipulating Naru to her own ends from the beginning. Why stop now!?"

Silence lingered in the Blackbird for a moment, eventually broken by Hank. "She does have a point, Professor. I overheard Logan talking with Minako, swapping notes... It sounds like they are quite close to tracking the Sentinels down. It might be more prudent to move in on them as soon as possible, to ensure the Sailor Senshi's momentum isn't halted."

"All too true, Hank," said Xavier. "But Luna, I suspect there's much more to your anxiety than fear of another Sentinel attack."

The cat glowered at Xavier. "You wouldn't be peeking inside my noggin now, would you?"

"Please, Luna. I need not rely on my powers to get a feel for what others are thinking," said Xavier.

"Something tells me, though, that your experience with sapient felines capable of speech is a bit limited," Luna shot back.

"Considering all the information on the X-Men's exploits we have freely shared, can you confidently make that wager?" Hank said coyly.

"In any case, Luna, although our teams got off to a rocky start, I would like to believe we've earned a bit of trust by now," said Xavier. "If there's something else about our joint operations that's troubling you, please tell me. One mentor to another."

Luna looked over to him strangely. Luna was right in some respects. Namely, it wasn't all that easy to judge the facial cues of a cat. At length, Luna looked away and sighed. "Isn't it obvious? The inheritor of the Moon Kingdom... This isn't what she's supposed to be doing! There will come a day when she will ascend and become queen of this world. But right now, fighting against the peacekeepers we have now, basically starting an insurrection threatening to tear Japan apart!? Is this really going to make things better!? How do we know this isn't exactly what Erina Kizachi wanted for her endgame to shatter Usagi completely!?"

"As Hank said, one of Kizachi's aims was to arrange this crackdown so Magneto could position himself again as mutantkind's savior," said Xavier. "I doubt either Kizachi or Magneto is happy with what Sailor Moon's started."

"So I guess as long as Sailor Moon's doing the dirty work sticking it to your old friend, all is well, huh?" snapped Luna.

"That's a little harsh, Luna," said Hank dangerously. "Ms. Tsukino made this decision herself, and the rest of the Senshi chose to stand behind her, including yourself. To now insinuate the Professor manipulated her and is happy to watch her stick her neck out..."

"That's enough, Hank," said Xavier sharply, cutting Hank off. "Luna has every right to think that. Let's face it, I deserve the scrutiny these days."

Luna actually looked a little surprised by that. "Which means... what, exactly?"

"I'm sure you haven't forgotten the Onslaught incident," said Xavier. When Luna nodded, he went on. "What you may not know is that I was responsible for spawning that monstrosity."

Luna's eyes widened in horror. "Y-Y-Y-You created that thing!?"

"Not intentionally, to be sure," said Xavier quickly. "A psychic entity fueled by all my entombed negative emotions, festering until it broke free and wreaked havoc. And as a result, so many countries agreed to let Bastion initiate Zero Tolerance, Japan included. In a way, I'm partly responsible for things getting to the point the Japanese are close to launching their own Sentinel program. So I must do what I can. If Sailor Moon insists it's best the X-Men assist from the shadows, I will respect her wishes. But my willingness to follow her initiative goes even further."

Curiosity now mingled with Luna's horror. "I'm listening," she said at length.

"These days, it's hard to remain hopeful. It was one of the reasons Onslaught grew so strong," said Xavier. "All these years I've struggled to achieve a lasting peace between two species, and having precious little to show for it. But now, I see this girl taking up the cause, simply because she feels it's the right thing to do. I can't remember the last time I've felt genuine hope like this. And she's supposed to reign as a queen one day, looking over a peaceful kingdom? I've long accepted I may not see my dream become reality. But perhaps now, I have hope another may finish the work I've started."

Luna just sat there on the console, not sure what to say next. The silence went on until something beeped on the console. "Hmmm, an incoming transmission," said Xavier. "Luna, if you would..."

Luna stepped aside so Xavier could answer. Both were a bit surprised to hear Usagi's breathless voice on the other end. "Professor Xavier, are you there!? There's something we need..."

"Nice to see Kitty got around to having the Senshi's communicators patch into our systems after all," noted Hank.

"We're receiving your transmission, Tsukino," said Xavier calmly, hoping it would calm Usagi in turn. "Is there something the matter?"

"Other than Sentinels ready to launch somewhere and half of Tokyo is screaming for the blood of your kind? Peachy," said Usagi snarkily. "But right now, I got a suspicion... I need you to lock onto my head, then try to see if your power can scan this one underground area near us."

Xavier and Luna looked to each other again. The cat's look made it plain she had no idea what the girl was up to. Yet Xavier saw no harm in her request. "Very well, Ms. Tsukino. Please wait as I recalibrate Cerebro." Xavier fiddled with the controls as swiftly as he could, then put the helmet back on and concentrated.

In a flash, Cerebro let him focus his power. He probed the city for her mental signature. Despite the millions of minds within Tokyo, hers stood out like a beacon now. The way Sailor Moon still confused Cerebro's sensors, reading her brainwaves as those of a possible mutant, certainly helped, too. When his mind touched hers, at first the girl's dread and anxiety flooded into him, yet he could still sense her capacity for love and hope. What he told Luna was not a lie. Usagi had come to him for help, viewing him as her last hope. Now she served to rekindle his own hopes.

Given his years of experience, it didn't take much effort to screen out Usagi's emotions and do as she asked. Usagi looked out to this cordoned-off disaster area, no doubt the spot she wanted him to scan. Xavier began to probe under the site, but soon found some strange force interfering with his power. He tried harder, but only succeeded in making his head hurt. "Ms. Tsukino, I... I'm sorry, but even my psychic probes are proving useless."

"Then the others were right. That's the perfect place for Naru to hide," replied Usagi.

"What's the perfect place!?" demanded Luna.

"If I recall the information from the shared files, the site where the Senshi took down the Death Busters and Pharaoh 90," said Xavier, finally understanding.

"Then Ms. Osaka is using parts of their old base, where the lingering dark power disrupts telepathic scans done underground, and camouflages her own dark energies," said Hank. "Quite ingenious, actually."

"Exactly what Haruka and the others were thinking," said Usagi. "So the Sailor Senshi are going in, tonight..."

"I... may be able to rig something that will keep Osaka from teleporting away via dark energy, so long as she stays within the area of effect," said Hank. "But with no way to test such a device, I cannot make any promises."

"But Usagi, can you spare any time going after Naru?" Luna protested. "You've still got Kizachi and her Sentinels to deal with."

"Luna has a point, Ms. Tsukino," Xavier said in agreement. "Even if Hank's devices work, there's no guarantee your friend will be any more willing to listen this time around."

Usagi fell silent for a moment. "Professor... If you could go back, take one last chance to make Erik Lehnsherr see reason before he became Magneto, wouldn't you do it?"

Xavier leaned back in his wheelchair, defeated. Luna gaped at him, astonished Usagi could cut him to the quick like this. "Very well, Tsukino. I'll have the X-Men suit up and prepare to join the Senshi tonight."

"That's... not really necessary, Professor," said Usagi. "If Dr. McCoy can slap together something to keep Naru from teleporting, that's great. But like I told the others, it's best if the X-Men don't jump into uniform for a while."

"I understand your logic regarding the X-Men not being seen as the Sailor Senshi safeguard mutants here in Japan," said Xavier. "This will be quite different, Tsukino. This center of operations for some of these Death Busters must be underground, so there's no risk of being seen. Furthermore, what's going on with your friend... It's our struggle as much as yours. Besides, I made you a promise, and I intend to keep it."

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The sounds of machines hissing and clanking noisily drowned out most everything else. It didn't help that the facility was mostly underground, hidden in plain sight on the city's outskirts. Thus, the din echoed and reverberated off the thick walls. Given how rich Erina Kizachi was, though, her employees assigned here were probably paid enough to keep from complaining. That, and to maintain utmost secrecy.

This was where her Sentinels underwent construction and modifications. Huge robotic arms removed parts from some and refastened components to others, occasionally showering the ground below with sparks. Thus, hard hats and goggles were a requirement. Well over a score of these Sentinels were stationed here now. At the moment, they were not activated, but were connected to the facility's systems. This was evidenced by the dim, sallow glow from their eyes, refracting ominously through their faceplates.

Most of the engineers assigned to Kizachi's secret facility paid no mind to the chaotic working conditions. And being human, they certainly didn't feel any anxiety from having these mutant-hunting monstrosities looming over them. This was especially true of Erina Kizachi herself. She strode through the heart of her secret facility, one of her lead engineers walking by her side.

"We are running out of time," Kizachi told her. Meanwhile, she was punching something into a PDA. "I know there's hardly been any opportunity to analyze the new data from the fight with Eclipse, but things are at a critical stage. Worse, these new... recruits of Sailor Moon's that have appeared..."

"But these Sentinels are meant to go after mutants!" her engineer protested. "The Sailor Senshi and X-Men are both known entities, variables that can be planned for. But this new batch of freaks..."

"Exactly. Too little data to make further upgrades and modifications, and even less time. I'm glad you appreciate the scope of the problem," said Kizachi airily before slipping her PDA into the pocket of her lab coat. "Put as many engineers as you can to work on prepping the Sentinels for deployment. I'll approve whatever overtime is needed."

"You really think the company will get approval from the government to turn these Sentinels loose?" the engineer asked incredulously. "I mean, you barely were able to get the go-ahead to send _ONE_ after Eclipse, and it failed! This'll set us way back!"

"Will it?" asked Kizachi in a singsong voice. "Or will it convince the rest of the House of Councillors that my husband was right all along, that you can't take chances with mutants like Eclipse? My husband and I can press the need to deploy more. Not just to deal with Eclipse, but the Sailor Senshi and these newest additions to their ranks. No, a little more patience. Opportunity will knock. We simply need to be ready when it does..."

As they walked by, someone else with dark goggles, a jumpsuit and a hard hat watched from behind a stack of cargo crates. However, though she currently sported raven-black hair like Kizachi, it was much shorter. _No wonder the Senshi and X-Men figured I was actually Erina Kizachi at first,_ Naru thought as she observed Sailor Moon's newest enemy from the shadows. _And it's a wonder no one's given me a second look, given how I look so much like my old Eclipse disguise. The lack of long hair and flowing goo probably helps, but I can't risk too much more time casing this place..._

It had taken Umino nearly working a day straight, but after Naru carefully pried open that Sentinel's head, he brute-force hacked into its data core. As she hoped, there was enough uncorrupted data for Umino to piece together, leading her here. So for the last couple of days, Naru teleported in and out of Kizachi's secret facility, taking pictures, getting down the workers' schedules and movements, cobbling down maps. Basically doing everything she could think of in preparation for when she and Umino showed up to claim the Sentinels for themselves.

Naru looked up at one of the Sentinels looming over everyone. Despite herself, she shuddered a little. It was _NOT_ fun to have one of those things bearing down on her. In a few days, thanks to Umino, they'd be working for her instead. Sailor Moon was committed to helping mutants now, was she? What good did it do, rounding up mutants before mercenaries and the police could, when these things were dangerously close to being deployed? And it didn't matter how many in Japan her old friend convinced to look past their fear. Far too many others were scared witless by the mere mention of her, or of Magneto.

 _No, I won't be safe as long as humans keep building weapons like this. None of my kind will be,_ Naru realized. The Sentinel was staring straight ahead, but Naru half-expected those sallow eyes to look down at her any second.

Umino managed to reverse-engineer some of the tech left behind by those Death Busters. He fastened a portable version of whatever jammed things like psychic probes around their old base. Coupled with whatever it was about her mutant powers that let her elude detection, it should keep these Sentinels from sniffing her out. Still, the nagging fear that these things would awaken any second remained.

Fortunately, Sentinels were just machines, and could be reprogrammed. They could be used to help mutants out for a change. Or at least keep the Sailor Senshi and fearful Japanese humans off her back.

Naru was so lost in her thoughts, she almost didn't hear footsteps heading her way. Ducking back into the shadows, Naru saw Kizachi walking back, alone. Naru still wasn't sure what to make of this maniac who built these Sentinels, originally for Nephrite of all people. But now she had her own agenda, pitching her Sentinels as a solution to Japan's 'mutant problem', all the while playing her own kind for fools by plotting something with Magneto. Not to mention, she managed to play the Sailor Senshi and X-Men for fools so far. _Got to admire someone willing to take on a demigoddess with only her brains and whatever she can slap together,_ Naru grudgingly admitted.

That was when Naru realized it might be tougher to pull this off than she thought. Kizachi was nobody's fool. She had to be ready for X-Men and Sailor Senshi to barge in here, aiming to wreck her work. It stood to reason she had countermeasures for someone conspiring to reprogram her Sentinels, too. Any extra edge would be welcome.

As Naru watched Kizachi go by, she noticed the bulge in the pocket of her lab coat. Her PDA... Umino could easily bust through whatever encryption it had. It may have some information she could use.

Kizachi's engineers weren't looking, too busy toiling on her Sentinels, while Kizachi herself didn't seem to be on alert for anything unexpected. Deciding to take the risk, Naru raised an outstretched hand. It was so easy now, creating a thin tendril with her oil slick. In no time, it lanced out a dozen meters or so across the facility's ground level, slipping into Kizachi's coat pocket.

The thin strand wasn't as strong as the tendrils she usually formed, but still easily picked that PDA out, with Kizachi none the wiser. Naru slung the PDA over her way, grinning as she caught it. Not wanting to press her luck any farther, Naru slunk back into the shadows around the cargo crates. With a flash of black flames, she teleported away. There was much work to be done.

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Rei squinted at the computer Ami had set up near the middle of her shrine. Rei typically never bothered with computers. They could be such a waste of time, and besides, she always felt they clashed with the look and ambience a Shinto shrine should go for. Still, for the moment, it was probably necessary. According to Minako, they were close to finding where the Sentinels were housed. The plan was to barge in before Kizachi could activate them. In case they couldn't, however, it would pay to know their weak points.

Squinting again, Rei zoomed in on a readout of the head of a Kizachi Sentinel. There were also notes McCoy and Ami left about possible ways to attack its head. Besides sending out Fire Bird Soul, that was. As Rei scrutinized it, she found it a bit hard to concentrate. Grumbling, she glared over her shoulder. "Must you hover, Minako?" she demanded irritably.

In stark contrast to Rei, Minako was absolutely beaming as she stood over her. Her old investigative skills were close to bearing fruit. "What? You had the pleasure of tackling one these suckers before, I haven't. I need to learn all I can before we rain on Kizachi's parade."

Rei sighed. Minako did have a point. "True. There's no telling how many more she's got built. We had so much trouble with just one..."

"Maybe we can even the odds," said Minako. "Some of the people who answered Usagi's call... The Sailor Senshi've got powerful allies, besides the X-Men, we never even knew about. If we can get them in on this raid..."

"We can't ask people who are more or less complete strangers to help with something like _THAT_!" snarled Artemis, who was nestled in Minako's arms. "It was a bit much asking them to help keep all those mutants from the authorities. But to go up against giant killer robots that even the Sailor Senshi and X-Men have trouble with!?"

Artemis also had a point, but Rei could sense something else in the cat's voice. "It's not just that, is it Artemis?"

Artemis gave Rei a strange look. "Maybe it's wrong to be so suspicious after the X-Men turned out OK, but... We hardly know anything about some of these recruits of Usagi's, or what they can do."

"You're right, it is a bit wrong-headed when the fiasco with the X-Men should've taught us all to not be so paranoid," said Rei. "But if this worries you so much, you could slip into our two 'safehouses' to spy on some of them."

It was Artemis's turn to sigh. "I did. On this redhead with a pigtail. But when she saw me, she flipped out and threw everything that wasn't nailed down at me. And I mean _EVERYTHING_. Filing cabinets, truck tires, pallets... You name it, in her hands it became a deadly weapon barreling at me at Mach 3." Rei couldn't help but snicker as she tried to picture that. Minako also failed miserably at keeping a straight face. In fact, she burst out in laughter. "Go ahead, go ahead! Get it out of your systems!" Artemis spat irritably.

"I-I-I'm sorry, Artemis," said Minako, wiping away some tears. "But maybe you're right. These new guys might not be up to taking down Sentinels."

"Then we keep studying this scan data, so we can do it ourselves," added Rei. Just as she was about to turn back to the computer, however, she saw McCoy, Xavier and Luna enter the room. McCoy was carrying this weird metal briefcase. Rei wondered was what in it. He had already slapped together devices to hide mutants from Kizachi's scanners. What else could he be working on?

"I'm afraid your leader might ask for that to be delayed, Ms. Hino," said Xavier. "The Sentinels' location isn't the only thing some of the Senshi may have deduced today."

Rei blinked in surprise. "Professor, I don't understand... Now that we've got most of Tokyo's mutants under our protection, what could be more important?"

"Not all the mutants," said Luna. "There's still one eluding us."

Rei finally understood. "Naru!? Where did Usagi find her?"

"The Outer Senshi believe Osaka has taken residence in what remains of the headquarters of their old enemies, the Death Busters," said McCoy. "And now, Sailor Moon wishes for us to go in and retrieve her."

"Wait, there's enough of it still standing!?" Minako asked incredulously.

"Even if there wasn't, the weird aura of darkness and nothingness that'll linger for eons... Naru must've figured it would mask her powers," said Rei, finally understanding. "But guys, is this really the best time? Not only do we have Sentinels to deal with, Naru's still probably in no mood to listen."

"At least there's no need to still worry about her legal problems. We've got enough of our own, given how the Sailor Senshi took her place as Japan's most wanted," said Minako gloomily. "By the way, is that lawyer still on her way? Not only could the Senshi sure use her for our own legal troubles, but she might be the only one strong enough to knock some sense into Naru for us."

"Unfortunately, Ms. Walters will still be unavailable for quite some time," McCoy said regretfully. Then he held up that weird briefcase. "But as for that last part, I just may have something, provided by another old friend, that could..."

The sounds of frantic footsteps coming up the shrine's steps cut McCoy off. Everyone turned to see Usagi dash into the shrine, out of breath.

Rei didn't hesitate. "Usagi, I heard it's your idea to go after Naru before the Sentinels," she said in a disapproving tone.

Once her breathing steadied, Usagi looked up to glare at her. "Why not? The Sentinels aren't going anywhere, not with the political mess the Senshi handed our government."

"Except one did, Usagi," Artemis pointed out. "The one sent to hunt down Naru."

"All the more reason to make sure we get to her first, then," Usagi retorted. "She's been a pawn of Kizachi's long enough."

"You do have a point," said Xavier. "It's entirely possible that Kizachi intentionally had that Sentinel lose to your friend, as part of some other scheme."

"I am also in favor of retrieving Ms. Osaka first," said McCoy. "Even if Minako and Logan are right about the general location of the Sentinels, we still need to survey the site to draw up a plan of attack. As Thucydides said, the two things most opposed to good counsel are haste and passion. Haste usually goes hand in hand with folly, while passion usually goes with coarseness and narrowness of mind."

Rei glared at McCoy. Unsurprisingly, Xavier backed him up. "I believe Hank is right. Attacking where the Sentinels are housed is still premature at the moment. In the meantime, we have an opportunity to do what led Ms. Tsukino to us in the first place."

"I guess Xavier has a point," Luna conceded. "Let's not forget why Usagi has us all doing this in the first place, how this started."

"Truer words were never spoken, Luna," came Michiru's voice. Rei turned to see her, Haruka and Chibiusa step into the shrine. One look at all their faces told Rei that Usagi had already convinced them.

Still, Rei had her doubts. "OK, so there's still a day or two until we're ready to lay waste to wherever these Sentinels are. Is this really the best way to spend that time? Again, Naru's probably still in no mood to listen. You didn't see her on that roof, Usagi, how unhinged she got..."

"She smacked me around with a tree about an hour before that, Rei," Usagi reminded her. "I think I have a good idea."

"OK whatever, not the point," Rei said quickly. "Even if we all corner her in the Death Busters' lair, what's to stop Naru from just teleporting away again? Or trying to splatter us into soy sauce? We didn't have time to make any more of that chemical, and the two X-Men who can outmuscle Naru went back to America. If we run into her and Storm, Makoto or Ami aren't around..."

"For the former concern, as I already told Tsukino, I believe I can construct a series of devices that can keep Osaka from teleporting away via dark energy," said McCoy. "As for the latter, an old friend gave me permission to utilize his designs to construct this." McCoy walked forward and popped open that metal briefcase. Rei stood up to look into it, and gasped in shock.

"Is... Is that...?" Minako began, just as incredulous.

"That can't be..." muttered Michiru.

Rei looked again to make sure McCoy was serious. It looked like some sort of metal gauntlet, gleaming with a scarlet shade. "So... Just how did you come up with something that looks not unlike what goes with an Iron Man suit?" demanded Rei.

"As I said, an old friend," said McCoy, beaming. "I used to be an Avenger, don't forget. Unfortunately, this is all I had time to build thus far."

"So this thing can give someone the muscle power to stick it to Naru if she's unwilling to listen to reason?" asked Usagi, not sounding all too eager to go that route. "Don't you need a _WHOLE_ Iron Man suit for that?"

"Quite true, Ms. Tsukino. Tony's battle suits have what is essentially an onboard fusion reactor, situated in the chest area, to power their systems," said McCoy. "However, I do believe you possess something that would be more than suitable as a substitute."

Usagi stared at him for a moment, perplexed, then reached into her skirt pocket to pull out her brooch. She stared at it for a moment, then at Iron Man's gauntlet. Rei wondered just what Usagi was thinking. She was clearly determined to go after Naru, tonight. But now, the reality of what it might take to be prepared was sinking in.

Eventually, Usagi sighed and said, "Well, let's give it a try. Moon Crisis Makeup!" Light flooded the shrine, and moments later Sailor Moon stood in the middle. McCoy wasted no time, helping Sailor Moon slip the gauntlet onto her left forearm. Sailor Moon hesitantly flipped open the brooch, exposing the Ginzuishou, allowing McCoy to connect the gauntlet to this new power source with a series of cables.

"This will be delicate work," said McCoy. "Given everything I have read about the Ginzuishou, it is liable to burn out the gauntlet's systems if we are not cautious."

Rei watched with trepidation as power suddenly flowed into the gauntlet. She could hear a faint hum as Sailor Moon held it up and made a fist. Her expression was unreadable. Rei guessed Sailor Moon probably _FELT_ a whole lot stronger, but she didn't look all that enthralled about it.

Minako noticed Rei's unease. "Rei, what's wrong?"

"Oh nothing, Minako. It's not like I'm wondering if it's a good idea to give Usagi something from Tony Stark's toy chest or anything," grumbled Rei.

Sailor Moon turned to glare at Rei. "Hey, I think I can handle..." she began. But as her left palm faced the floor, a repulsor blast suddenly went off, propelling Sailor Moon toward the ceiling with a wail. Sailor Moon was flattened against it for a moment, before crashing back down with a painful thud. "OK, maybe an hour or two to practice before we go," she croaked while everyone else just stared down at her. Well, except for Rei. She simply facepalmed.

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The bus lurched again, making Ikuko gasp, nearly dropping the sacks of groceries she was carrying. Every little thing made her jittery these days. Even something as simple as a bus ride filled her with anxiety. It didn't help that Usagi told her the truth about the disappearing bus passengers along the route going by Hikawa Shrine. Of course, Usagi and her friends already defeated the ones behind that some time ago. No, now Ikuko had to worry about the bus being hoisted up by magnetism and ripped open.

As if he sensed her anxiety, Ikuko felt her husband's hand over hers. Kenji had insisted on coming along on her shopping trip. It was silly, really. If Magneto or any of his mutant cronies attacked the grocery store, there wasn't much he could do. It also amazed Ikuko. Kenji saw firsthand what Magneto could do, yet he seemed to keep his fear in check.

Ikuko felt herself drawing some strength from Kenji's resolve as she looked in his eyes. She then turned to look out the window. The sun was about to set, its orange glow washing over the Juban district. She was late getting back to prepare dinner for her family. Yes, just a quiet evening, looking after the people she loved. Some would see it as hard work, but for Ikuko it would be a welcome respite.

A rude reminder came of why that was so important. The passenger in the seat right in front of Ikuko had a radio, and the evening news was broadcasting. "There has now been an official statement released," came the voice of a female reporter. "The Sailor Senshi have now been declared public enemies, wanted on charges related to hindering and assaulting law enforcement, aiding and abetting fugitives, and breaking and entering. Meanwhile, the search continues for the mutants the Sailor Senshi and their loyalists broke out of confinement..."

It finally happened. Her daughter, all of the Senshi, they were now enemies of the state. If Ikuko hadn't been holding onto those bags, she would have buried her face in her hands, sobbing. As it was, she could barely keep her eyes dry. Ikuko's only solace was that, if Usagi had to be branded a criminal, she was doing all this for something she believed in.

The evening's nasty surprises did not end there, unfortunately. A man in the seat across from Ikuko's also heard the radio. "Finally, they just come out and say it. I sure hope they throw all those skirts, along with them mutant freaks, back in the slammer."

The woman holding the radio rose, incensed. "Why you... My daughter was one of those kids that went missing on this bus over a year ago!" she spat back. "If it wasn't for the Sailor Senshi, who knows what would've happened to my little girl!"

"Yeah, and now Sailor Moon would've been fine with your girl going to school with that walking oil spill!" the man snarled. "You still trust them, after they've sided with those freaks of nature!? And now others blindly loyal to them seem to think everything's peachy with that oil-stained mistake of nature! Even proud to show it... Like those idiots boarding right now!"

The rude man pointed to the front of the bus. Indeed, the passengers getting on had streaks of black goop over their faces. After that one chaotic march through the streets, where Usagi's old teacher spread oil thrown at marchers over her face, the trend spread like wildfire. People everywhere who supported what Sailor Moon was doing openly showed their defiance this way.

Unfortunately, at the moment, it did more harm than good. A shouting match erupted, egged on by that rude man. Many took his side, but plenty others rose to the defense of those new passengers. Ikuko could only look on in horror as things got dangerously close to fists flying. She heard stories like this on the news, but to _SEE_ such a fight break out...

Kenji grabbed her shoulder. Looking toward him, Ikuko saw Kenji tilt his head toward the door in the middle of the bus. Getting the hint, the two of them slipped out before the fighting got worse.

Thankfully, they only had to walk a couple of blocks before reaching Hikawa Shrine. The pair walked on in silence, Ikuko still feeling numb from what she just saw. Usagi believed she was doing what was best for Japan, but at the moment, all it seemed to do was exacerbate the divisions.

The sun had fully set by the time they were ascending the stone steps. Well past dinner time. Ikuko would have to hurry. She picked up her pace, set on getting into the kitchen and getting to work.

But as soon as she climbed the steps, Ikuko knew something was up. Logan was standing a good distance away from the shrine, puffing on a cigar. What caught Ikuko's eye, however, was that he had on his black uniform. Ikuko never saw him in one of those uniforms before, except briefly on television. He came off as the drifter of the group, and the clothes she always saw Logan in helped solidify that image. Now, Logan was clearly falling in line. Something was very wrong.

He turned to them, as if he knew they were approaching. "Good, you're back," said Logan, putting that cigar away in a tube. "Get that stuff in the fridge, and get ready to roll out."

Ikuko stared back at him quizzically. Sworn to protect her or not, she didn't exactly care for being ordered about.

"What's this about, Logan?" asked Kenji. "You're in uniform... What's going on?"

"The three of you can't stay here tonight," came Kitty's voice from the shrine. Ikuko turned to see the girl in uniform as well, that dragon on her shoulder. Also, she was dragging Shingo out by his arm. He looked flustered and confused. "The X-Men are moving out with all the Sailor Senshi on a mission. You'll have to stay at the Ryuuzaki mansion with the Professor, at least for tonight."

"That super-rich family? Why would we be as safe there as we would with Senshi and X-Men hanging around us?" Ikuko demanded.

"Not _AS_ safe," said Logan. "But the Mendou conglomerate's pitched in by having private security assigned to the place. More like a private _ARMY_ , actually. And yes, they have some plastic guns. Also, the Senshi seem to have new... friends that can stand in for them, or so they claim."

"I still don't understand," said Kenji. "It was my understanding that Usagi wanted the X-Men to stay out of sight. What's changed? Did you find the Sentinels?"

"Pretty much. But your daughter's determined to go after Naru first. The Senshi claim they've figured out where she is, and the X-Men have agreed to help them go get her," said Kitty.

Naru Osaka... Usagi may not have given up on her old friend, but Ikuko couldn't forget how she threatened to rip her arm off. How she flattened her daughter with a tree. That was one of the crazier things going on. Sailor Moon was doing all this in the name of a girl who now hated her guts!?

"Haruka's got her Ferrari here. You can use that to get to the Ryuuzakis' place," Logan went on. "You'd better hurry. We're movin' out soon."

"Then I'd better act fast, if I'm to talk some sense into my daughter," said Ikuko coolly, shoving the grocery bags into Kenji's arms. "Where is she?"

"In the forest out back, practicing with..." Kitty began, but Ikuko simply marched past her. Hearing that Usagi was still this hung up on Naru, that fight on the bus... Ikuko had finally had enough. These last few days, her world was turned upside-down. It was long past time to try to restore some sanity to it.

After stomping through the shrine to reach the back, Ikuko could hear a strange noise. A sort of blasting, whooshing sound. Following it, Ikuko could see the bright white of a Senshi's fuku stand out in the nighttime gloom. The blond hair done up in odangos let Ikuko know she found her daughter. How _HAD_ she never noticed Sailor Moon had her little girl's hairstyle before!?

Ikuko marched forward, only to stop when a bit of moonlight reflected off something on Usagi's left arm. Something red covering it. Usagi placed her right hand over it, and if to steady it. Suddenly, some sort of bright, white blast shot out of her palm, giving off that strange noise. Ikuko looked to see Usagi had set up a series of bottles along a fence, and was blasting each one off.

It took a moment for Ikuko's mind to register what she was seeing. _Sure, now my daughter's been given stuff from Stark Enterprises, of course,_ she thought angrily. Just one more bit of insanity piled upon the rest. "Usagi!" she cried out, finally fed up.

Usagi let out a wail of surprise as she whirled around. "Uh, oh, hi Mama," she said sheepishly. "Uh, back from shopping so soon? I was, well, practicing, and..."

"With some new toy the X-Men lent you?" Ikuko demanded. "Is that... _REALLY_ something for Iron Man!?"

Usagi stared at her for a moment, then reached down to sink her left hand into a tree stump. A second later, Usagi ripped it right out of the ground. "Sure works like it is," said Usagi simply.

Ikuko couldn't help but gape at that display of strength. On top of her daughter practically being a demigod, that Ginzuishou could power such machines!? "So I guess the X-Men figured this evens the playing field with Naru, strength-wise."

Usagi tossed the uprooted stump away, looking crestfallen. "Oh, they told you where we're going tonight..."

"So you were going to keep this from me, too!? That you're going to try to reason with that psycho!? Usagi, I'm sorry, but enough is enough!" Ikuko shrieked.

Usagi could only stare at the ground, mortified. "I guess... this is why I never told you before. I-I-I just didn't want you worrying all the time..."

"Well, now that I _DO_ know, I'd appreciate being left in the loop!" cried Ikuko. "Bad enough I have to live with the knowledge you're going after these Sentinels in the coming days. You're doing something _THIS_ crazy in the meantime!?"

"I've done even crazier for friends," said Usagi. "Mamoru and Chibiusa when they were brainwashed... Mama, please don't make it sound like I'm still keeping secrets! We only figured out where Naru was a few hours ago, and I've laid bare everything else about Sailor Moon!"

Xavier's words flooded back to Ikuko. Instead of having him wipe her memory, her daughter chose to come clean about everything, as awkward and painful as it was. Usagi deserved some respect for that tough choice. Still, Ikuko wanted to shout back, but now knew it would be pointless. Like it or not, things could never go back to the usual mother-daughter dynamic. How could you threaten to punish a child who was basically a reincarnated demigod?

"I'm sorry, Mama, but I've got to do this," Usagi went on. "Even if we can expose Kizachi and everyone sees how she played Japan... It won't matter if I can't reach a friend I ignored for too long."

"Forget about Naru for a minute," said Ikuko. "What about what's going on in the rest of Japan!? Tokyo's liable to tear itself apart before Magneto decides he wants to! Fights are breaking out everywhere, those protest marches are getting uglier and uglier... Is this want you wanted, Usagi!?"

Tears formed in Usagi's eyes as she looked into Ikuko's. "Mama... You know I don't! B-B-But if we just ignored the problem, pretended nothing was wrong, what good would it do? How can the Sailor Senshi call themselves guardians of love and justice if they don't stand up for those things when it really counts!?"

"Is there really any guarantee you can change enough minds when all this is over?" asked Ikuko. "Even if you expose Kizachi, destroy her Sentinels and drive away Magneto, will these things go away?"

Usagi shrugged her shoulders. "By the time the Silver Millennium comes, maybe," she said nonchalantly. "But I've got to try, now. I've got to do something. The X-Men showed me that."

Ikuko buried her face in her hands. "Ohhh, I knew your father's worship of the X-Men would cause trouble one day..."

"It wasn't just that. It was seeing them for real, especially Professor Xavier," said Usagi. "Seeing what they do every day, both in that school of theirs and when they're out fighting bad guys like Magneto... The world's full of people that hate and fear them, but they do it anyway. I guess it showed me the Senshi have to step it up and do the same. Do what's right, even if people in Japan hate us for it."

Ikuko shook her head. "When I kept saying I wish you'd take initiative... Be careful what you wish for, huh?"

"I've had those moments," said Usagi. "I mean, right before I learned I was Sailor Moon, I thought being like Sailor V would be cool. Guess I learned fast how being a superhero has its downsides, huh?"

"Then why ask for more punishment!?" demanded Ikuko. "Going after the girl who beat you senseless... I-I-I-It's madness! I-I-I... As you mother, I forbid it!" she finished weakly, pointing at Usagi.

For a moment, it looked like that might actually work. Usagi stood there, eerily silent, a sad look in her eyes. Then, she shook her head, sobbing. "I guess I was right the first time. After what you said about mutants that morning, I figured you couldn't ever be trusted with knowing I was Sailor Moon. But I told you anyway... Maybe it was a mistake!"

Tears in her eyes, Usagi pushed past her. Far more forcefully than she intended to, thanks to that bit of Iron Man's tech. Ikuko hit the dirt hard, but Usagi didn't even look back as she charged back into the shrine. For many moments, Ikuko didn't bother to get up, simply crying herself.

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A bit of a breather chapter this time. No fights, just some more character development and crossover goodness as I set things up for the shit _REALLY_ hitting the fan. But what comes next chapter? Just be damn sure you're expecting the unexpected.

So long,

Grey-X


	27. Convergence

**Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse**

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 27: Convergence

4-30-2018

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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Night had fallen some time ago, but at least along the streets above, there would be a copious amount of lights to banish the gloom. Not to mention, plenty of open space. Here in the sewer tunnels around the Tokyo Bay area, there was only the feeble glow from the paucity of fluorescent lights. Worse, the tunnels were horribly cramped. Well, perhaps to others, they wouldn't seem so. But to Storm, it was as if the walls were about to close in.

Thankfully, over the years, Storm learned to keep her claustrophobia in check, though it did take effort. And these efforts did not go unnoticed. Wolverine attached one of Beast's devices to the tunnel wall a few paces away, more or less focused on that as he puffed on his cigar. Shadowcat was a good distance away doing the same, barely visible thanks to her uniform nearly letting her blend into the shadows. However, Luna stood by her as her teammates worked, staring up at her strangely. "Ororo, what's the matter?" asked the cat.

"Nothing I cannot manage," said Storm quickly. "It's just... I must constantly battle rather severe claustrophobia."

"And you're leading a team through these tunnels!?" Luna cried incredulously. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Good idea or not, I must," said Storm. "Thankfully, my experience with the Morlocks have led to a... familiarity with navigating sewer tunnels. Even if that weren't the case, Xavier supports Sailor Moon's idea to find Naru and make her see reason. I won't let nagging fear keep me from doing my part."

Luna made a strange face and turned away. Storm had a good idea what was on the cat's mind. "You still do not approve of this endeavor, I take it?"

"I just feel it's a waste of time," said Luna gruffly. "Naru clearly doesn't want to be found, doesn't want to deal with us anymore. I know Usagi feels it'll be a failure if she saves every other mutant in Japan, but can't get through to Naru. But maybe it's time to face facts: you can't save everyone."

"Yeah, the little lady gets pissed easy and hits hard when she does. I speak from experience," said Wolverine as he walked over. "And you ain't the only one who's been reluctant to let a super-strong mutant back in, Luna. When Petey showed up at the mansion again months after ditchin' us for the Acolytes, askin' for help dealin' with renegade Morlocks... Well, I wasn't exactly in a forgiving mood, to say the least."

"And before that, when the Professor wished to make Rogue an X-Man, at first I refused to allow it, threatening to quit," said Storm.

"Well, whatever your misgivings, I guess you worked past them," said Luna grudgingly. "You two are quite forgiving at the end of the day, that's for certain."

"Same with Sailor Moon," said Wolverine. "That's why the little bugger's grown on me. She ain't about to give up on anyone, not without giving it her all first."

"Still, there's a big risk, and this will eat up time and manpower we might not be able to spare," Luna pointed out.

Wolverine regarded Luna for a moment, taking a big drag for his cigar. "Maybe it ain't exactly the most tactically sound plan, fine. But correct me if I'm wrong, Luna... When you first 'awakened' Usagi's power or whatever, it was a chore to get the girl to do anything, correct?"

Luna nodded reluctantly. "I'm amazed that I didn't suffer permanent hearing damage from all her crying..."

"And now she's doing all this of her own volition," said Storm. "No one asked her to do all this on our behalf. But now that she has, I'll do whatever I can in return to help save her friend's soul. In the meantime, Luna, since you admit that Usagi has matured a great deal, perhaps we all can trust in her judgment a little longer?" Luna looked up to Storm again, another odd look in her eyes. But then, at last, she nodded stiffly.

Storm was satisfied the matter was settled, and just in time. At that moment, Storm got an incoming transmission. The pips with the X emblem on the collars of their uniforms were also their communicators. And now, they were synched with the Sailor Senshi's. "Storm, this is Uranus," came the Senshi of Wind's voice. "Neptune and I finished setting McCoy's devices and we're doubling back. We'll be there in about two minutes."

Storm pressed her thumb onto one of the pips, allowing her to respond. "Acknowledged. Once you're back, Logan, Luna and I will proceed with you toward where Mercury believes we'll most likely find the old workplace of the Witches 5."

"Unfortunately, our plan to have three different teams converge on their old lair might've hit a snag," came Jupiter's voice. She and Mars emerged from one of the shadowy tunnels.

"Yeah, the maps Mercury dug up are mostly accurate, but the fallout from Mugen Academy going up was more extensive than she thought," added Mars. "The tunnel we thought we could take to rendezvous back with Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen is blocked off."

At that moment, Shadowcat finally finished. She stood back up, a devilish grin on her face. One mirrored by Lockheed, who was perched on her shoulder. "Oh ye of little faith," she said saccharinely as she strode toward them. "The shortest distance between two points, ladies, is a straight line." With that, she hooked both Senshi around their torsos with an arm, dragging them toward a sewer wall. Mars and Jupiter had horrified looks, and not because Shadowcat dragged them through ankle-deep sewer water. They kept crying out in protest even as Shadowcat phased all of them through the wall.

Storm watched them disappear, unable to keep from giggling softly. She was thankful both teams were still meshing this well. Not too long ago, it seemed too much to dare hope.

 _It was Usagi. She was determined to make this partnership work,_ Storm told herself. _That strength of will may yet help her succeed with reaching enough hearts..._

Storm then received another transmission. "Ororo, Cable reporting in," came the gruff voice of the former X-Force commander. "Hank and I have finished setting our gizmos, and we're waiting for Sailor Mercury's group to report back to us so we can move in."

"Acknowledged, Nathan," Storm replied. "Uranus and Neptune will rejoin Logan and I shortly, while Mars, Jupiter and Shadowcat are en route to regroup with Sailor Moon. However, I fear once our three teams move in, what renders psychic probes ineffective will also affect our communications. Each team may be on their own." _Not to mention, we'll all be cut off from the Professor. He won't be able to warn us if there's any approaching danger,_ Storm added silently.

"Understood. Cable out," was his simple reply before he cut the feed.

Storm, Cable and Xavier had drawn up this plan with the Senshi. By breaking up their combined forces into three separate teams, they could move more swiftly than if they all stuck together. Not to mention, all three teams had at least two people capable of subduing Naru in case things got ugly. For her team, that meant Wolverine and herself. Storm fervently hoped it wouldn't come to that. Unleashing a blizzard on that girl once before was more than enough.

At last, Uranus and Neptune stepped out of the shadows, talismans at the ready. "Couldn't help but overhear you and Cable," said Uranus. "Sounds like the other two teams are already preparing to close in."

"You sure you two are ready?" Wolverine asked. "I mean, Storm may have claustrophobia, but what we're marchin' into must bring back some bad memories..."

"Bad memories about brutal lessons, regarding how one should defer to Sailor Moon's judgment now and then," Neptune cut in. "Let's not waste any time debating it this time."

"Glad to hear you two are already convinced. Until a short while ago, I wasn't," said Luna.

"Then it's decided. We move in," said Storm. She took point, trudging forward into the tunnel Mercury believed would lead to the Witches 5's old lair used to be. Even with sounds echoing down in the sewer, Storm could barely hear the movements of the other four behind her. She had a good team assembled to back her up. It made Storm even more determined to keep her claustrophobia in check.

Still, it was a challenge. As they progressed deeper into what was once the heart of some otherworldly evil, Storm found that feeling of walls closing in growing worse. If there was any doubt a vile enemy of Sailor Moon once festered nearby, it was gone now. Still, just as when she led the X-Men into the Morlock tunnels to retrieve Angel, Storm pushed back against the fear. Sailor Moon was counting on her being there, to help reach her friend, and Storm wouldn't let her down.

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That antenna on Jupiter's tiara was out, crackling with electricity. She didn't fire at anything, but merely let her power flow. It cast an illuminating glow as their team moved on. Meanwhile, Mars took point, a flaming ofuda in her hands, both for extra light and in case she needed to fling it at Naru on a moment's notice. Lockheed, however, didn't need much light. He periodically flew ahead and looped back. So far, he hadn't found anything amiss, but that could quickly change.

Shadowcat looked from Mars to Jupiter and back, wondering what was going through their heads. From what she read, the Senshi never saw much of the Death Busters' inner workings before everything went to hell. What preoccupied them more? Fear of learning more about how their old enemies worked their horrors? Or what Naru could be doing, now that she claimed their base and its technology for herself?

Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen brought up the rear. Looking over her shoulder, Shadowcat saw that Tuxedo Kamen already had his cane at the ready. Sailor Moon, meanwhile, stared down at the gauntlet covering her left forearm. She still seemed conflicted, both her using tech from Stark Industries and the reason Hank gave it to her. Shadowcat still found it a little odd, seeing Sailor Moon so unsure of herself. All the material the X-Men researched beforehand tended to show Sailor Moon acting quite confident more often than not. Her bravado at that monorail stop helped reinforce that image.

Or it would have, had Shadowcat not spent so much time with the girl behind the tiara. Such a bundle of contradictions, a seemingly fickle and capricious girl also capable of ironclad conviction. In the last week, under her leadership, the Sailor Senshi showed they were willing to go farther for mutants than most of the X-Men's allies back home.

Of course, Shadowcat knew what spurred Usagi into doing this: Naru. And now she needed the X-Men's help once again, to reach out to her one last time. After seeing the Sailor Senshi's willingness to sacrifice everything to help the rest of her kind in Japan, there was no way Shadowcat would refuse.

So their team trudged on ahead. The tunnel they were in was coming to an end. Lockheed swooped back into it. Holding out her arm for him, Lockheed perched himself onto it. He gazed up at her and snorted, a strange look in his yellow eyes. "Heads up, Senshi. Lockheed's getting some bad vibes, and I don't think it's because of Naru."

"Considering the Witches 5 did some of their creepy experiments around here, that's not surprising," said Jupiter as she and Mars stepped out of the tunnel. Her crackling antenna and Mars's ofuda cast light on a rather wide open area, with many different tunnels to choose from. As Shadowcat stepped out with Lockheed, she saw that quite a few yards ahead, there was some railing to guard against falling into a spillway far below.

"No, I've been feeling their lingering evil ever since we came down here," said Mars. "This is... a different sort of malevolence. The Death Busters were mostly cold and calculating. What I'm sensing is... almost gleeful."

As Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen were about to step out of the tunnel, Mars went further ahead, holding up her ofuda. Shadowcat saw her face screwed up in concentration. The lingering ambience of those Death Busters probably interfered with her special senses more than Mars cared to admit. As Mars tried to focus, looking this way and that, Shadowcat noticed her ofuda was burning brighter. At first, Shadowcat figured Mars was doing that herself, but when the Shinto priestess looked up at it, her expression was one of shock.

It all happened in a flash. The once-gentle flames burning from the ofuda erupted into a fireball. It shot up, casting a blinding light all around them. Then its trajectory curved back down, heading straight for Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen.

"Usagi, Mamoru... _DUCK!_ " Shadowcat called out. But it was too late. Or rather, would have been, had it not been for Lockheed. He flew off Shadowcat's arm and right at a wailing Sailor Moon, tackling her in the gut. She collided into Tuxedo Kamen in turn, and the three were knocked back into the tunnel. The fireball smashed into the sewer walls right above the tunnel, causing debris to rain down and block it off.

"Mars, what're you doing!?" Jupiter demanded hotly.

"I-I-I-I didn't do this!" Mars protested. "I-I-I-It's like my flame suddenly had a mind of its own!"

"And I have a bad feeling I know why," grumbled Shadowcat. "For now, I'm phasing through that wreckage to get..." Shadowcat was cut off as she felt something wrap around her torso, right before she could phase. Something noxious and slimy. She found herself hurled at the remaining two Senshi, and the three collapsed in a tangle of limbs, grunting and yelling at each other.

Once they separated themselves, Shadowcat rose, seeing exactly who she feared. An ugly little man with greasy, tousled hair and a toothy grin that rivaled Loki's in its creepiness. Toad stayed in a crouching position, ready to spring, right beside a blond man in a bright orange-red and yellow mask and costume. His fists were alight with flames.

"Sailor Senshi, may I introduce Pyro and the Toad?" Shadowcat growled as she stared them down. Her mood got worse when a third figure stepped out of the shadows, one she was amazed could stay hidden for so long. A grotesquely fat man in a dark-purple costume with yellow trim, also grinning maliciously.

"The Blob, too?" Jupiter grumbled.

"Awww, the little lady's heard of me? I'm flattered, heh heh heh," Blob drawled, putting his hands together. "Wanna dance, darling? I hear you'll give anyone not put off by your size a shot."

Of course, since Blob spoke in English, Jupiter probably didn't understand him. "Oh well, whatever," said Jupiter. "Three-on-three. Seems like a fair fight, so... Wait a second..."

"Think you're hot stuff, huh!?" Mars cried, glaring at Pyro. "Well, try this on for size!" She put her hands together, ready to launch an attack.

"Mars, _**NO!**_ " Jupiter and Shadowcat cried out in horror.

But it was too late. "Fire Soul!" Mars roared, sending out a volley of flame at the three Brotherhood members.

As Shadowcat feared, Pyro held out an outstretched hand. Mars's blaze took on a life of its own again. What was once one stream of fire formed into a fist and shot back at the three girls. Shadowcat ducked aside and phased, while Jupiter tackled Mars and hit the deck. The fist of fire slammed into the floor, sending out a wave of heat and force that Shadowcat swore she could still feel even while phased.

"Ahh, so the little lady also likes to turn up the heat?" Pyro asked in that annoying Aussie accent. "Wonder how often she gets to be on the receiving end, eh Dukes?"

"What happened!? Why did my attack..." Mars began as Jupiter helped her up.

"Mars, didn't you read the files on the Brotherhood!?" Jupiter demanded. "Pyro's mutant power isn't about generating fire. He _CONTROLS_ fire!" Mars's eyes widened, the advantage the Brotherhood had over them sinking in.

"He's weak, though, suffering from the Legacy Virus," said Shadowcat. "I'll deal with him. In fact, we can keep them all occupied here, give Sailor Moon a chance to find another route. Mars, you're fleet of foot enough to handle Toad without any attacks. Watch out for his poisonous spit and tongue, though." Shadowcat ignored Mars's disgusted look. "Jupiter, a little cover fire, please." It was important to take command of this situation and strike back fast. She had fought these clowns enough times to know you couldn't dither around with them.

Thankfully, the other two Senshi got the hint. "Roger that, Kitty. Jupiter Oak Evolution!" Jupiter cried, spinning in place to send out electrified leaves. Given how Jupiter obviously studied their profiles, she must have known Blob would stand his ground. Blob did just that, trying to shield his teammates. Those leaves didn't seem to hurt Blob as they tried to drill into all that blubber, but at least he wasn't advancing yet.

With the seconds Jupiter bought them, Shadowcat pressed a thumb to the pip on her collar. "Sailor Moon, if you can hear me, don't bother clearing the rubble to get to us! Hank showed you how to use the projector map on that gauntlet. Find another way to Naru! We'll keep the Brotherhood busy!"

Toad wasn't content to remain behind cover. He leaped up at a nearby tunnel wall, then sprang off, launching himself at Mars. Mars jumped up and tackled Toad in midair, just as Blob charged at Jupiter. That was all Shadowcat saw before she sank into the floor. Hopefully, in all the confusion, Pyro would lose track of her.

Indeed, when Shadowcat rose up from where she last saw Pyro, he was focused on controlling his flamethrower blasts, forming more blazing fists. Mars narrowly avoided getting pummeled, annoyance etched in her features from the indignity. Grinning, Shadowcat swiped at Pyro, her phased arm going through his flamethrower unit. As she hoped, it had some electrical components. For the moment, he couldn't generate any new flame. But given how he hung around Magneto, Pyro must've built it in such a way that it wouldn't stay out of commission for long.

Pyro stared down at his hands in confusion, cursing at the sputtering flames. He must've realized what happened, as he spun around, incensed. Shadowcat could see that putrid, infected skin, but didn't waste any time on pity. Pyro blocked an incoming kick with his arm, but it was a feint. Shadowcat then spun around and ducked, launching a punch into his gut.

As Pyro toppled, Shadowcat saw Jupiter duck and roll under Blob's arm as he swiped at her. Then she used Sparkling Wide Pressure, hurling the attack right in Blob's face. He howled in fury, staggering back, his heavy footfalls echoing around them. Clearly, Jupiter knew how to best fight the Blob. Unfortunately, Blob could probably still take all that punishment. Jupiter's back was to that railing in front of the spillway. She tried using Supreme Thunder next, but this time Blob deftly jumped aside. Jupiter looked quite shocked. It was one thing to study Blob's files, but to _SEE_ someone that huge bounce about like a ballerina...

"I've got this, Jupiter, now that Pyro's down! Get ready!" cried Mars. Toad was still on the move. He lashed out with his tongue, aiming to whip and ensnare Mars. Mars leaped up and over Toad's tongue, a fiery bow forming in her hands. "Mars Flame Sniper!" she shouted, firing her arrow while in midair.

The arrow struck right underneath where Blob touched down, exploding with the force of a small bomb. Mars was luckier than she realized, as she gave Blob no time to affix himself to the floor. Plus, it was just enough to launch Blob up and forward, right toward Jupiter. At first, it looked like Jupiter would be flattened under his bulk. Instead, she held Blob up with both arms as he flailed about and cursed. Given how Jupiter was a little hunched over and bit her lip, though, it did take some effort.

"You look like you could use some time to unwind, Dukes," spat Jupiter. "Here, why not take a swim!?" With that, Jupiter spun around and hurled Blob over the railing. The whole place shook a little as Blob splashed into the shallow spillway water below.

"Mars, keep Blob busy down there so he can't climb back up!" Shadowcat called out quickly. "Pyro can't affect fire that he can't see!"

"I hear you, I hear you! On it!" Mars grumbled as she swung herself over the railing to drop down. Meanwhile, Pyro was already back on his feet. He agilely leaped over to Toad's side. As Shadowcat feared, his flamethrower was operational again.

"Well, looks like he aims to turn us to toast," said Jupiter with a grin. Her antenna popped out again. "Care if I try first?"

Shadowcat grinned back. "See, we do get each other. Be my guest, Makoto."

Just as Pyro cut loose with another volley of flame, Jupiter shouted, "Supreme Thunder!" His blaze clashed against her lightning, filling the sewer with blinding light and a deafening roar. Weak as he was, Pyro was backing up, already pushed to the limit. Shadowcat shielded her eyes for a moment, then saw Toad motioning for her to bring it.

At the moment, she wanted nothing more than to wipe that grin off the Toad's ugly face. But now that Jupiter bought some time again, Shadowcat reached for her communicator instead. "X-Men, Sailor Senshi... Whoever's hearing this, half my team's been cut off and we're under attack by the Brotherhood! Repeat, the Brotherhood and possibly the Acolytes are prowling the tunnels..."

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These last few days had been one big headache for Umino, juggling so many tasks. At the moment, he was still trying to break through the encryption on Kizachi's PDA. Naru seemed certain it had to contain useful information. Umino wasn't so sure, but tackling its encryption helped Umino figure out just what made Kizachi's mind tick. Granted, trying to figure out the programming code Kizachi developed specifically for her Sentinels already gave him plenty of insight.

At least he now had a comfortable place to work. When Naru came to him with her crazy idea to hijack those Sentinels, Umino decided it was high time to get the workplace of this 'Witches 5' running again. It felt creepy, knowing he was getting the headquarters of those who helped sic that 'Daimon' or whatever onto him and Naru in working order. But there was no denying they left behind state-of-the-art computer equipment. Mastering the subtleties of Kizachi's programming code and breaking into her PDA might not have been possible without it.

Still, even with their main lab more or less fully functional, a perpetual gloom hung over the place. These Death Busters simply must've preferred it always being dark and foreboding. So it was no surprise that as Umino kept typing away, Naru managed to slink up from the shadows without him noticing until she was hovering over him. Her black leotard, denim shorts and dark leggings certainly helped with that.

"Still no luck breaking through the encryption?" Naru asked, sounding surprisingly patient.

Umino sighed, sliding his fingers up underneath his glasses to rub his eyes. "Actually, I think I'm close. It's radically different from the encryption protecting her Sentinel's data core, but I'm getting there. How are things on your end?"

"Never-ending," Naru said slyly. "It was tedious enough, clearing all the rubble blocking off this place after Mugen Academy went down. I mean, the entire length of one of the tunnels this Eudial used to ferry cars to the surface..."

"You sure it was necessary?" Umino asked delicately. "I mean, you've gotten better with your teleportation power..."

"No, Umino! I won't risk frying your insides again, not until I'm sure there's no danger," Naru barked. "It's just good that you were already working on fixing that car Eudial left behind. That's my Umino, working to fix problems before he even knows about them."

Naru knelt a little and slung an arm around him, smiling. Umino fought the urge to wince and pull away. Not because he feared Naru's strength. Over the months, he helped her master that, but Umino had long since accepted that Naru would oftentimes hug or hold him a little too tightly. Especially when...

His face flushing, Umino tried to focus on the task at hand. "I guess it's for the best. You teleport in first ahead of me, raise some hell before they even know what's hit them, while I drive there and slip in taking advantage of the confusion."

"And then we'll have our own army of Sentinels," beamed Naru. "Provided, of course, you've cracked Kizachi's programming code." She said it in such a way to show her confidence in his smarts. Yet whether it was intentional or not, there was a hint of danger about not living up to her lofty expectations.

"W-W-Well, like I said, it's a completely unique programming language," said Umino uneasily. "It has similarities to several known languages, but... It forms a hodge-podge, really, taking aspects of so many and blending them in a distinctive way. I suppose this fits Kizachi's modus operandi. A way to keep those seeking to outwit her guessing, using someone's knowledge against them. Plus, like Usagi and Kitty said, she was probably dead-set on avoiding what happened to Trask."

"Sounds like you're close, though," said Naru, slapping a hand down on his shoulder. Umino bit back a yelp. It felt like she nearly shattered a scapula.

"And then what, Naru?" Umino dared. "These Death Busters left behind a pretty big base, but what's left standing is nowhere near big enough to hide all the Sentinels you saw."

Naru smiled wickedly. "Who said we should just keep them here?" That sent a chill down Umino's spine. He understood how much Naru was in pain. The loss of her mother, being ostracized by the people of Japan, her disillusionment with the Sailor Senshi and the X-Men. But there was no way she was so full of bitterness she'd _UNLEASH_ these Sentinels as an act of vengeance! Would she?

A loud, plangent beeping interrupted Umino's troubled thoughts. Grateful for the distraction, Umino wheeled his office chair over to the desk behind his. It was immediately evident what set off the alarms. Umino got most of the security cameras the Witches 5 set up around their hidden lair up and running again. One of them caught movement. Umino just stared in disbelief at the feed, while Naru actually gasped.

"Sailor Mars, down here!?" Naru demanded of no one in particular.

"And she's down in some spillway tunnel," Umino said. "That really, _REALLY_ big guy she's fighting... That's the Blob, isn't it? One of Magneto's old cronies?" Naru said nothing, staring at the screen.

Umino watched too, transfixed. Mars was ducking and weaving around Blob's punches and swipes. Big as he was, he was amazingly fast, coming quite close to tagging Mars many times. Mars jumped back as Blob's meaty fist swung perilously close, brushing past her long hair only to smash through solid brick instead. After backflipping away a good distance, and ofuda in hand, Mars tried using Fire Soul Bird. Her creation rammed Blob in the face. He howled in shock and pain, but stood his ground as the blazing bird clawed and pecked at him. "What're those two doing here anyway?" Umino demanded. "Of all the places to have a battle, why down here?"

"Because both the Sailor Senshi and Mystique's Brotherhood figured out we're down here!" Naru spat. "Look at that other screen!" Umino turned to see what Naru was pointing at. The very tunnel Naru said she just cleared of debris was monitored by this camera. Wolverine and Storm were inspecting it, tailed closely by Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune, and even Usagi's cat!

"Urgh, and to think I just cleared a path for them!" Naru howled furiously, hurrying over to yet another desk. Both of them familiarized themselves with their new home, and thus Naru knew which switches and buttons did what. She quickly hit a few of them, and Umino turned to the screens again. One of them showed a series of steel barriers further down that tunnel sliding shut. "There. Unless Magneto lends a hand, no one's blasting through anytime soon. Hopefully they'll double back and give up."

"Naru, I didn't spend much time with that Logan fellow, but he doesn't strike me as the type who'll give up easily," Umino said delicately. "Also, Kitty might be somewhere else down here. With her power, it's only a matter of time before she finds this place."

Naru's face screwed up in frustration. "You're right. Which means we're out of time. We're making our move tonight."

Umino wanted to yell at Naru, tell her they still weren't quite ready to hit Kizachi's facility. But between fear of upsetting her and fear of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants barging in on them, his tongue was held in check.

Another series of beeps served to distract him once more. This time, it came from the computer he hooked Kizachi's PDA into. Umino wheeled his chair back over to it, and moments later Naru was hovering over his shoulder again. "You've cracked the encryption? Please tell me we've got something useful for tonight."

"I'm not sure. It doesn't look like any pertinent data on her Sentinels," said Umino warily, wading through this potential treasure trove of new information. "It more or less looks like a means for Kizachi to discreetly send messages along." Umino read through them, not quite sure what he would find. But then, he read through one that seemed to hint at... "Forget it, Naru. There's nothing here I can use to seize the Sentinels, not without spending days pouring over it. Let's just focus on..."

But Naru was ever the sharp one, sharper than most gave her credit for. She shoved Umino's chair aside and stared at the screen. Umino's insides froze again as Naru's eyes widened, then hardened, tears of anguish and fury welling up. A loud crunch made Umino look down. Naru's fingers had dug deep into the desk, leaving little more than splinters in her fists. Not only that, black ooze flowed down onto them as well, never a good sign.

"It was her..." she muttered, a cold edge to her soft voice. "Kizachi got that ex-yakuza stooge of hers to make it look like his old clan was targeting my mother, only it went wrong..."

"N-N-Naru, I-I-I..." Umino began, fumbling for words. What was there to say? At least now Naru knew the truth about her mother's death, but he feared what she would do next, armed with this information.

"Then taking her Sentinels isn't enough!" Naru spat coldly. "After we've got them, and after I track down this Gai, I'll do Usagi one last favor: wring the neck of her newest enemy for her!"

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Moments ago, Storm's team came up across a steel barricade. Wolverine had already tried his adamantium claws, but the barricade was too thick, and none of them had the strength to pull it apart after he clawed swaths in it. It proved infuriatingly resilient against a Senshi's attacks, as well as Storm's lightning.

Seeing how it would take too much time to get through with brute force, they had no choice but to double back to a small maintenance tunnel several hundred meters back. Uranus lagged behind the others, infuriated by the delay. Worse, Storm said she thought a fellow X-Man was trying to reach them while they attempted to break through, but it was too badly garbled. That probably meant the other teams had run into danger, danger Uranus's team was oblivious to.

Forcing herself to calm down, Uranus tried to focus, to hear whispers on the winds. Of course, down here in these sewer tunnels, with the smothering evil aura left behind by the Death Busters, she could only glean so much. And at the moment, nothing useful. Uranus picked up her pace, falling in beside Neptune. After a quick glance at her, she simply shook her head, guessing what Uranus wanted to know. Her ability to glean things from the seas was hampered down here as well.

That left only Wolverine and Luna with abilities that could guide them. Yet Uranus feared Wolverine's sense of smell and hearing, not to mention Luna's special senses, would also be hindered. Still, Uranus deigned to ask. "Logan, that garbled transmission is still bothering me. Any chance you can smell anything in this sewer?"

Wolverine stopped to sniff the air. "It's hard, but doable. Not pickin' up anything funny, though. Yet," said Wolverine gruffly. Still, Uranus couldn't help but notice Wolverine had yet to sheathe his claws after trying to slice apart that barricade. Clearly, he was just as on edge at her.

It certainly didn't help that their detour took them into what had to be the most mazelike part of these tunnels yet. Even with Neptune's borderline photographic memory, she was clearly having trouble using the maps Shadowcat and Mercury dug up. "Up ahead, I believe there'll be a path branching off to the right," said Neptune suddenly. "That should put us back on track towards our alternate course."

"Let's hope so. I don't know about the two of you, but I'm sensing something funny, and I don't think it has anything to do with the Death Busters," said Luna.

Uranus grumbled under her breath, not believing this cat's senses were working better than her own. As she started to lag behind the others, though, Uranus thought she caught a hint of something amiss on the sewer's stale winds.

It was the only warning she got. All of a sudden, it was as if Tokyo Bay was hit with a quake. Despite her strength, Uranus lost her footing and tumbled back, just as some of the tunnel collapsed right in front of her. On all fours, coughing, Uranus slowly rose, on guard for an attack. Her Space Sword was out, as she didn't want to risk more of the tunnel coming down on her head with World Shaking. It was difficult to be certain with the pitiful lighting and the kicked-up dirt and dust, but Uranus figured there was no one else around. Friend or foe.

Worse, there was nothing coming in via her communicator. Either that meant they were so close to the Witches 5's lair that they were useless, or her team was buried underneath that rubble. Snarling, Uranus stuck her sword into the ground and began to frantically dig through the rubble. "Neptune, Storm, anyone! Can anyone hear me!?"

"No need to shout, Uranus," came a calm, familiar voice. Uranus looked up, relieved to see Neptune standing only a few meters away.

"Y-Y-You're OK?" Uranus stammered. "B-B-But you were only just ahead! I-I-I was afraid all of you were..."

"The cave-in wasn't that severe, and I quickly found a tunnel leading back over here," explained Neptune. "However, that wasn't the only spot where rubble came crashing down. I was cut off from Luna and the X-Men, and I'm afraid I'll trigger something else I try blasting through."

"Then we'd better find a way to regroup, and fast," said Uranus. "Something tells me that little cave-in was no accident."

Neptune nodded, then stood aside as Uranus retrieved her sword and took point. There was a wide open area just ahead, possibly where the others could flee to, assuming they weren't buried alive. Uranus was grateful that her partner was safe, at least, but they still had to find the others. _That little man... amazing how someone who rips into you with razor-sharp claws can grow on you. I guess I just like his style. Plus, Ororo is a capable leader, even if she once used those skills against us. Just glad we're on the same side now, so..._

Uranus was brought back into focus as she sensed something wrong, _VERY_ wrong. The winds whispered about danger being very close by, a danger that felt eerily familiar. She had felt it once before, but where?

As Uranus racked her brains, she heard a faint click echo right behind her. Suddenly, everything clicked into place. She whirled around and shouted, "Space Sword Blaster!" Unfortunately, she only succeeded in knocking a pistol out of Neptune's hands and forcing her back some. There wasn't much time to put a lot of power in that blast, and her foe had considerable reflexes.

'Neptune' chuckled evilly as she stared back at then incensed Senshi of Wind, her eyes turning yellow. Then the roots of her shortening turquoise hair turned a crimson red, the color change flowing fast. As did the wave that transformed her skin into a scaly blue in its wake, and her fuku into a leather jacket and silvery-grey dress. "Nice one, Tenoh, And here I thought only your lover and the little monster could sniff me out," Mystique sneered. Uranus brought up her sword, ready for another blast. Mystique tsk-tsked as she wagged her finger. "You sure you want to risk bringing the rest of the tunnel down?" she asked tauntingly.

"So that's what another team was trying to warn us about," snarled Uranus. "You and your Brotherhood are down here. Why? To keep us from Naru? What purpose does that serve?"

"Think you can claw answers out of me without the little bloodhound?" Mystique dared, motioning for Uranus to make a move. "Let's see if you do better than your gal-pal, at least."

With a snarl, Uranus charged, aiming to run Mystique through. The shapeshifter ducked and swerved around her strikes, then clamped onto Uranus's wrist with an enlarged hand. She squeezed so tightly, Uranus was afraid she could crush her wrist. On top of that, her height and muscle mass suddenly increased. With her other hand on her throat, Mystique slammed Uranus into the tunnel wall. Mystique dragged her along it length until she stepped out into the open area Uranus was heading for.

Mystique threw Uranus a good distance, and she landed hard, water splashing around her. Uranus sprang right back up, seeing Mystique _FLYING_ overhead, back to her normal size but sporting fluffy, white wings.

 _Not the smartest move. Flight only gets you so far without a sky to soar through,_ Uranus thought with a smirk. _Plus, not as big a risk of a cave-in here._ Mystique pulled out a rifle and opened fire, but Uranus easily jumped out of the way. "Space Sword Blaster!" she roared, flinging her attack up at Mystique while she was circling the chamber and reloading.

Once again, her attack clipped Mystique, making her drop this weapon, too. She fluttered down in a tailspin, hitting the sewer floor hard. Before she could get up, Uranus hoisted Mystique up by her throat and slammed her against a large pipe. Then, she ran her sword through Mystique's gut.

Mystique's screams echoed throughout the tunnels. Uranus ignored them, pressing her nose up against Mystique's. "I hear your shapeshifting powers can close a wound like that," Uranus hissed through gritted teeth. "Care to answer my questions before I make too many?"

Mystique stared back at Uranus coldly as she grit her teeth, and then, to the surprise of the Senshi of Wind, she suddenly laughed. "What's so funny, damnit!?" Uranus demanded as she twisted her blade a little. "Seriously, how do you expect to get out of this!?"

"You heroes are so amusing," Mystique jeered. "Always thinking you're the only ones who value teamwork..."

"What do you..." Uranus began, stopping when something clamped down on her neck. A roar like a lion's boomed in Uranus's ears before being flung across the chamber, hitting the adjacent wall hard. When she could stand back up, Uranus saw Mystique was steadily rising, though hunched over as she concentrated on closing her gaping wound. Standing in front of her, and slowly advancing, was Sabretooth once again.

"Are you _EVER_ going to _NOT_ have your back turned to me, honeycakes?" Sabretooth spat.

"Teach her, then, Victor," gargled Mystique. She spit up blood, then added, "Teach her a final lesson."

"Actually, someone already clued me in about you," Uranus shot back. Uranus could see it in Sabretooth's eyes. Even if she hadn't just skewered Mystique, Sabretooth would be all too happy to rip her to shreds. Best to take Gambit's advice, put him down if she saw the chance. Baring his claws, Sabretooth roared and charged.

Uranus howled out defiantly as she collected power in her fist. "World Shaking!" she cried out, slamming her fist down. Sabretooth effortlessly leaped over her attack, his longcoat billowing from its winds, and it barreled toward Mystique. She barely ducked aside in time before it took out the pipe behind her. Water sprayed everywhere as Sabretooth moved in. He was as fast as Wolverine, but while the one dubbed 'gaijin' fought with practiced skill, Sabretooth truly was a wild beast in the guise of a man.

Uranus managed to get in some hits with her sword, but also took quite a few hits herself. Sabretooth didn't hit quite as hard as Rogue, but his strength still overshadowed hers. And while her fuku could resist those claws of his, he left some cuts on her face and arms. Worse, no matter how deeply she cut with her Space Sword, Sabretooth could heal his wounds almost instantaneously. Uranus couldn't.

Sabretooth nearly ripped Uranus's face off as he lunged again, but thankfully, she ducked her head aside at the last second. She tucked and rolled to the side, then sprang up to launch a spinning jump kick into Sabretooth's face. It knocked him back a good distance, giving Uranus the opening she needed. "World Shaking!" she roared, and this time her attack hit home, pinning him up against the sewer wall.

But if Wolverine could recover from such punishment, so could Sabretooth. It was time to move in, do what Gambit wanted. "A certain Cajun sends his regards!" Uranus snarled as she charged, sword at the ready. Her winds faded and Sabretooth slumped down. Just as it looked like she had a clear shot at Sabretooth's throat, his hand sprang up to snatch her wrist, the tip of the blade centimeters from his neck.

"And here I was, beginnin' to doubt your reputation as one of the more hardcore Senshi," he growled as he stood up. Much of his clothes had been sheared off, the wounds all along his torso closing. He reared his other arm back, meaning to finally rip Uranus's face off. Just before he struck, something small and purplish-black latched onto his face. "GAH! What're you..." Sabretooth snarled, letting go of Uranus to pry Luna off his face. "Oh, the talking cat," Sabretooth jeered. He leaned his face closer, leering at Luna. "What was this all about, pray tell?"

Luna was unfazed. "Oh, nothing really. Just setting you up."

At first, Uranus figured Luna meant her. But then, a howl of pure rage echoed around them. Uranus turned towards its source, and saw Wolverine lunge himself at Sabretooth, claws bared. He tackled Sabretooth to the ground, sinking those adamantium claws into his chest. Sabretooth effortlessly threw him off. Uranus thought Sabretooth was a savage beast before, but the mere sight of Wolverine somehow made him even more unhinged. Likewise, Uranus could sense the unadulterated hatred Wolverine had for him, radiating off him like waves. Wolverine roared again and charged, but Sabretooth met his charge, their claws digging deep into each other's flesh. Wolverine's explosive savagery... He insisted that before, he came at Uranus with everything he had out of respect. It was clearly a lie. Now, against Sabretooth, he held nothing back.

"Good work keeping them occupied, Uranus," said Luna as she walked up to her.

"L-L-Luna, how did you all get out of that?" Uranus asked. "I was afraid all of you were buried alive."

"Close to it, and the one responsible hasn't been dealt with," said Luna. "Get ready, they'll be here any second!" Luna looked over to the far end of the chamber. Uranus followed her gaze. Storm and Neptune were chasing two men into their midst.

One of them had some strange silver armor and a domed helmet. He seemed to be creating shockwaves that undulated the sewer floor. That explained the cave-in. Neptune leaped out of the wave's path, then used Deep Submerge against the other man. A big guy wearing a brown bandana and sunglasses, with a pale grey complexion, somehow transformed his forearms into multi-barreled blasters. He fired up at Storm, who was flying overhead, but then Neptune's attack struck him. Instead of doing him in with its crushing pressure, the man seemed to dissolve into a mass of grey goo, only to reform once Neptune's attack faded away.

Still, he was hunched over, wide open to another attack. Storm was ready to lash out with lightning, but Mystique had recovered, using her wings to tackle the X-Men's leader in midair. "Avalanche and Random," said Luna. "One creates seismic waves that can bring down skyscrapers, the other creates these guns out of his arms and can restructure his body to resist any external force."

"Oh does he?" Uranus asked with a smirk. "Let's see about that." She dashed ahead, sword at the ready. Avalanche failed to entomb them, the odds were now even, and they had room to move in this chamber. Things were looking up, but clearly the Brotherhood was here to distract them. What for? Uranus had a nasty feeling the Brotherhood still had plans for Naru.

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Storm's prediction had proven all too true. As they neared where Mercury suspected the Witches 5's abandoned base was located, communication with the other two teams proved impossible, either with telepathy or their equipment. Cable found himself admiring Naru, for making Umino repair and maintain whatever the Witches 5 had that once kept their operation hidden. In her place, it would be among the first things he'd do.

It made things all the more tragic, how Naru let her grief and anger get the better of her. A new trainee this sharp would be welcome back at the mansion. Cable sure wouldn't have minded talent like that back with X-Force, either. Of course, that was why the Sailor Senshi and X-Men were traipsing through Tokyo Bay's sewers tonight. Even if they couldn't ultimately recruit her, they could hopefully steer her off this dark path. Cable had flirted too many times with giving into the sort of despair consuming Naru.

Still, as much as Cable empathized with the girl, he had to be prepared for a confrontation. So though he took point, he proceeded slowly, rifle at the ready. Well, he wasn't the only one taking point. Artemis marched on right beside him. He hoped the cat's weird senses weren't as dulled as his telepathy, but judging from Artemis's expression, it was an empty hope.

Beast brought up the rear, while Mercury was right in front of him, her visor out. She occasionally typed away at her computer, but again, her expression gave away that she was having little luck. Venus didn't seem all that attentive to her surroundings, even smiling as they trudged through rancid, ankle-deep water.

"I still say we should've brought in some extra help," said Venus suddenly. "I mean, if we need more muscle to hold down Naru. That guy with the yellow bandana and the umbrella... Damn, he has some serious power, didn't he, Mercury? Plus, he was really cute, in a sort of dorky, awkward way..."

"You can ask him on a date later, Venus," said Mercury dismissively. "Just about everyone else agreed this needs to be kept 'in the family', so to speak." Cable could practically hear Venus pouting behind him.

 _At least Chibiusa realizes this is no game,_ Cable mused as he swung around, aiming down a corridor to his right. The light from his rifle flooded the tunnel, showing no nasty surprises. Cable spared a glance back at his team, and at Chibi-Moon in particular. She gripped her Crystal Carillon tightly with one hand, and the Luna-P firmly with the other. Chibi-Moon stared down the tunnel too, squinting, as if anticipating danger. Like him, she had a nagging feeling they would soon run into trouble.

"About three hundred or so meters down this way, then we make another right, according to these maps," said Mercury as she peered down the tunnel. Some of its functions, like thermal imaging, should still be working. His bionic eye detected nothing amiss, either.

"Then let's keep moving. Quietly, in tight formation," said Cable. Cable could feel the annoyed looks from Venus and Chibi-Moon on his back, but paid them no mind. His time with X-Force taught him to tune stuff like that out.

Still, it was vexing when Venus started whining once they were on the move again. "Must we take this so slowly? Storm or Sailor Moon have probably already reached the Witches 5's old lair by now..."

"As someone who once corresponded with Interpol, Sailor Venus, I would assume you'd appreciate the value of patience and prudence," said Beast. "I, for one, am quite willing to trust in Nathan's wealth of experience. After all, it's helped him survive all those clashes with Apocalypse in the 40th century..."

"Yeah, but hopefully knocking some sense into Naru isn't like fighting this..." Artemis began. "Wait a minute, did you say the 40th century is where he's from!?"

 _Oh thanks a heap, Hank!_ Cable fumed inwardly, looking over to Chibi-Moon. She was frozen in place, staring up at him with tearful eyes that screamed a sense of betrayal. "T-T-Then that means, this Apocalypse everyone talks about... H-H-He rises again _AFTER_ Crystal Tokyo is established!? He's going to bring down Mama's kingdom!?"

Cable knew he had to talk fast. If there was a worse time for this to come out, he couldn't picture it. "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure. I'd like to think there's a good chance I've done enough here in this time, with the X-Men and X-Force, to put an end to Apocalypse for good."

Chibi-Moon stared up at him coldly, the tears falling. Her glare cut deeply into Cable's very soul. "You don't really believe that, do you?" she snapped back. "That's why you avoided telling me! After all this, after everything with the Black Moon Clan... My home will never be safe, will it!?"

"Worry about your safety in the present, little girl!" came a cackling voice from further down the tunnel.

His mind once again focused on their mission, Cable whirled around, weapon at the ready. He reacted just in time to see a familiar green extension of energy shoot down the tunnel. "Great, the Acolytes are here!" he spat, calling upon his mutant power. The psionic exoskeleton crashed into his telekinetic barrier. As usual, Unuscione packed a punch, but his defenses held. "That all you got, Unuscioue!?" cried Cable as Unuscione floated into view, suspended by her psionic exoskeleton. " Think you can take all of us? In case you haven't noticed, the X-Men have backup."

"And you think I don't?" Unuscione scoffed. That was when Cable heard something break through the tunnel walls behind him. He risked a glance over his shoulder, seeing that the Kleinstocks and Frenzy had busted through, boxing his team in.

"Just like old times, huh McCoy!?" Frenzy taunted, charging at Beast. She managed to get in a couple good slugs to his face. But when she threw another punch, Beast caught her fist and slammed her against the adjacent wall.

"My dear Joanna, though I find your eagerness to dance gratifying, you lack a certain elegance to your steps," Beast said calmly as he charged at Frenzy. Meanwhile, Chibi-Moon and Artemis ducked and weaved around the plasma bursts the Kleinstocks fired down at them. Chibi-Moon retaliated with a flurry of hearts from the Crystal Carillon. She caught the Kleinstocks by surprise, and they lumbered backward clumsily.

Turning his attention back to Unuscione, Cable used his telekinesis to fling the bricks strewn about by the other Acolytes' entrance at her. They pelted her exoskeleton, along with shots from his rifle, forcing Unuscione to duck and weave around Cable in what space the tunnel provided.

"Cyclops should've left you all to rot in that desert!" Cable howled as he tried ramming her with a telekinetic blast. Unuscione's psionic exoskeleton took it, but it rattled her to the core. More importantly, it set Unuscione up for Venus.

"Crescent Beam!" Venus shouted. Even though her defenses held, the blast from Venus's finger slammed Unuscione up against the tunnel wall. Meanwhile, Frenzy and Beast continued to slug it out, while Mercury now had the Kleinstocks covered. One hit from Shine Aqua Illusion had the Kleinstocks encased in ice. Unfortunately, it was already cracking from their combined strength and the heat from their plasma.

Now that the Senshi had these Acolytes on the ropes, Cable was ready to help put them down. But as if his thoughts were an open book, someone called out to him. "Let the children have their fun, Summers. You've got a little business with me."

His blood freezing, Cable turned to look back down the tunnel. A man with reddish skin, long black hair, and a strange costume with a white cape and spiky golden pauldrons calmly walked down it. His eyes, those of a fanatic willing to do anything for his master, glowed with intense power.

"It just gets better and better," Cable grumbled as he stowed away his weapon while summoning the full might of his telekinetic power. Against this foe, he would need it. "Sailor Senshi, you and Beast keep those other Acolytes busy! _DO NOT_ engage Exodus! Leave him to me!"

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The tunnels underneath Tokyo Bay shook violently again. Sailor Moon could only guess what was going on with her friends. How many more of these Brotherhood psychos and possibly Acolytes were down here with them? With their communicators now rendered useless and telepathic contact with Cable impossible, there was no way to know. But what little bit Shadowcat got through after the tunnel nearly collapsed impressed upon Sailor Moon the importance of making it to Naru.

As if sensing what troubled her, Tuxedo Kamen laid a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Sailor Moon. Shadowcat's dealt with the Brotherhood plenty of times. She'll get Mars and Jupiter through this. After all, she can just phase them out if things get to be too much. And with Storm and Cable leading the other teams... They won't let anything happen to our friends."

Sailor Moon looked up to him, tears in her eyes, forcing a smile as she nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right. No one knows those whackos better than the X-Men. Isn't that right, Lockheed?" The dragon was perched on her other shoulder. He smiled and snorted.

"In the meantime, Sailor Moon, are we getting any closer?" Tuxedo Kamen asked.

Sailor Moon brought up her left arm. After staring at the thing for a moment, she hit some buttons. "At least I'm finally getting the hang of this thing's other features," Sailor Moon muttered. A holographic display once again appeared, showing their current location and how much farther they had to go. "We're in luck, Tuxedo Kamen. It's not much farther. The entrance to the Witches 5's old base should be right up ahead!"

"Well, now that we're almost there, I guess we'd better decide on just what we're going to say to Naru," said Tuxedo Kamen. "Even if she's been watching TV down here, it'll still take a lot of convincing."

Sailor Moon could only nod. She still wasn't quite sure what she would tell her old friend. But they were so close now. They had to push ahead. "Hopefully she won't be too angry when she sees us. At least give us a chance to..." A strange groaning sound from behind them interrupted Sailor Moon. Not only that, she noticed her holographic display was flickering in and out. "Hold it, what's going on? What's..."

Suddenly, Tuxedo Kamen cried out in surprise, and then something plucked Lockheed off her shoulder. After whirling around, Sailor Moon could only cry out in horror. The pipes lining the tunnel wall had suddenly come alive, ensnaring the both of them to pull them back down the tunnel. Before she could do anything, some unseen force yanked at her left arm, dragging her away from them. Then, the tunnel ceiling in between her and her friends came down, cutting her off.

"Oh no, not again!" Sailor Moon cried out as she sprang back up. "Wait a minute, what could cause... Those pipes, my left arm... Oh no. No no no no no..."

"Worry not, Usagi Tsukino," came a deep voice from further down the tunnel. "No harm will come to your friend or Kitty's dragon. In fact, the others currently engaging the Sailor Senshi have been given strict orders to do no serious, lasting harm."

Her insides turning to ice, Sailor Moon slowly turned around. There was shadowy darkness just ahead, but a lone figure stepped out of it. One covered in a distinctive red and purple costume, with a flowing cape and a glistening red helmet. What could've been seen of his face was still shrouded in shadow, but Sailor Moon still knew exactly who this was.

"You see, the Brotherhood and Acolytes are down here to simply delay the X-Men and your friends," he went on. "Among other things, I wanted some time to speak with you, face-to-face. I believe there is much for us to discuss, Sailor Moon."

Sailor Moon said nothing, frozen in place. Of all the times to run into him, with something metal latched onto her arm no less! But now, to get to Naru, Sailor Moon knew she would have to think fast and act faster. It was one's only hope when suddenly finding yourself face-to-face with Magneto.

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Anyone see the _Venom_ trailer? Part of me was thinking, "Why pay money for this crap when I can just rewatch _Spider-Man 3_ for free, which did it _RIGHT_?" Another part was thinking, "Well, I guess that's what Naru's oily tendrils would look like in live-action..."

Also, _Pokémon_ been on my mind again a bit lately, and was thinking that Naru would be thought of as a Poison/Dark type. Yet she's got the wrong weaknesses, to electricity and ice. But it _DOES_ fall in line with her resistance to telepathy. By the way, there's a reason for that that has yet to be uncovered...

So long,

Grey-X


	28. One Must Fall

**Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse**

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 28: One Must Fall

5-19-2018

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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Sailor Moon stared ahead in disbelief, fighting to keep from trembling with fear. How could everything go south like this? First the Brotherhood came out of nowhere, cutting her off from half her team, only for Magneto to trap the rest. Was it his plan all along, just to get her alone with him? But for what? Just what would he want to chat about? Wouldn't a lot of Magneto's problems be solved if he just skewered her with a pipe and was done with it?

"Come now, nothing to say?" Magneto asked in a friendly tone. Somehow, that terrified Sailor Moon more than if he threatened her outright. "I understand you've been corresponding with my old friend a good deal. Did he not impress upon you the need to try to find ways to reconcile with those you've come to disagree with? Is that not why the X-Men and the rest of the Sailor Senshi are down here with you this night?"

His tone was still friendly, but Magneto was clearly baiting her, taunting her. Sailor Moon couldn't really come up with a retort, still too shocked from running into him. "Y-Y-You're speaking Japanese," Sailor Moon said at length. "I-I-It's not like with some of the X-Men... You learned it without a telepath helping."

Magneto chuckled a little as he stepped closer. Sailor Moon tensed, but all Magneto did was remove his helmet. Now that he stepped into better light, Sailor Moon could make out the signs of creeping age. His white hair seemed to glisten in the dim fluorescent light. Not as old-looking as she would expect a survivor of World War II to be, but still the look of someone who had been through many ordeals. And those eyes... Sorrowful eyes that betrayed a deep sense of loss and pain, but at the same time, a bitterness that chilled Sailor Moon. It wasn't unlike what she saw in Naru's eyes that day in the park.

"Yes. Over the last year, I made an effort to learn your language," said Magneto.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised. You've been planning to muck things up in my country for at least that long, right?" sneered Sailor Moon.

"I was hoping there wouldn't be such... vehemence. I've realized overtaking missile bases and sinking nuclear subs has yielded precious little. So yes, I have other plans now," said Magneto calmly.

"Yeah, we've noticed. Working with Erina Kizachi to get parts to build Sentinels, all while letting her company and her husband stir up hate against mutants so you can come off as a savior to Japan's. Well, at least the Senshi put a stop to that!" spat Sailor Moon. "That's all bad enough, but you had to make life hell for Naru! And stop playing innocent, Magneto. Mercury figured out it was you who caused that monorail accident."

"I deny nothing, Sailor Moon. All you say is true," Magneto said without hesitation. "The bombs dropped on your country half a century ago... What started as a trickle of mutants birthed from that atrocity is swiftly becoming a flood. And they must be made to see how there's no place in this world where humanity will accept them. Once it looked like Japan would be different. Not anymore."

"Is it really that bad, Magneto?" Sailor Moon demanded. "Been watching the news lately? Mutants are getting help from thousands of Japanese who don't share a working X-gene, just in this city alone."

"And they're clashing with what, hundreds of thousands who still curse my kind with every angry beat of their hearts? Millions even, backed up by your current government?" Magneto countered. Sailor Moon withered a little, thinking back to what her mother mentioned right before she pushed past her. And not too long ago, Ikuko made it plain she didn't exactly trust mutants. Would she ever change her heart? How many hearts would she really change once all this was over? Magneto seemed to know what she was thinking, and asked another piercing question. "And more importantly, at least from your perspective, will this change Naru Osaka's mind? Isn't that what you've come down here to find out?"

Sailor Moon stared blankly up at Magneto for a moment. Suddenly, she figured out Magneto's game. "You're down here for her, too."

"Indeed. So why don't we both make our case to your friend?" Magneto suggested, once again sounding eerily friendly. "Now, if you'll please follow me, I can lead you where she and her boyfriend have set up shop."

With that, Magneto turned around and slowly walked back the way he came. Sailor Moon stared at his back, befuddled. If Naru was really what Magneto was after, why not bind her up or kill her, then make his case alone? There was something she was missing. But at the moment, there was no fighting past Magneto. Not down here with all these metal pipes, with part of an Iron Man suit on her person. Worse, there was no way to clear the rubble separating her from Tuxedo Kamen and Lockheed before Magneto could stop her. Sighing, Sailor Moon followed just before Magneto would have faded back into the darkness.

Soon after she did, Sailor Moon saw that a steel barrier had slid down, blocking off the tunnel. With a wave of a hand, it bent to Magneto's will, ripping itself apart. He did the same with others barring their way. _Obviously, the Death Busters never planned for someone like Magneto,_ Sailor Moon mused as she stepped through the gaping holes Magneto made.

The walls soon changed, from brick to steel, and there were more pipes. Sailor Moon half-expected them to come alive and run her through, but Magneto simply kept up his brisk pace, paying her almost no mind. Sailor Moon looked down, flexing the fingers of her left hand. He wasn't doing anything funny to her gauntlet, either.

When Sailor Moon looked back up, she saw that the tunnel in front of them was blocked off by rubble. This had to be the outer edges of the impact crater left behind by Mugen Academy going up. But there was another path, to their left. After they ducked down it, Sailor Moon could see a single door past Magneto. She could just make out the word 'Witches' in English.

"It appears we've arrived," said Magneto simply, reaching out with his hand. Sailor Moon swore she heard the circuitry in whatever security device controlled the door being fried to a crisp. Then, the handle turned on its own, and the door swung open.

 _Why didn't he do the same with the circuits in this Iron Man thingie? What's he planning?_ Sailor Moon wondered, fidgeting with her armored hand. With no other choice, Sailor Moon followed Magneto into the Witches 5's lair.

"So tell me Tsukino, did you ever see where these Death Busters worked some of their horrors?" Magneto asked suddenly, too cordially for Sailor Moon's tastes. "It's... awfully dark in here, wouldn't you say? I do try to keep Asteroid M well-lit, as claustrophobic as it can be."

Sailor Moon said nothing, taking in just how creepy this place was. Even with the Witches 5 dead and gone, their cold malevolence lingered. The eerie fog that hung over the floor, the pipes everywhere glistening in what little light there was... It was enough to convince Sailor Moon that this had to be the place. Here, among other schemes, they conspired to make Hotaru into Mistress 9. And now Magneto was here, still aiming to make Naru one of his Acolytes!

"Yeah, they cooked up some weird stuff here. Soul-sucking flowers, weird little killer nanomachines... Not unlike what you've come up with over the years, what with creating your own mutants and building stuff that controls volcanoes," Sailor Moon shot back.

If Sailor Moon didn't know any better, she'd say Magneto shot her a pouty expression. "And here I was told you tried to make friends of everyone, Tsukino, no matter their past sins."

"Even I have my limits, Magneto," said Sailor Moon. "I know what you've been through, but that doesn't excuse what you've been up to in Japan. On top of what's happened to Naru, there's what you did to Uranus and Neptune. And what you've been doing to Professor Xavier all these years! He was your _FRIEND_ , the best one you could ever hope for, and look what you keep putting him through! That's why you're _NOT_ getting Naru, too," she finished, glaring at him. _Brave words, Usagi. Too bad there's little chance you can back them up with this damn gauntlet latched onto you._

Thankfully, Magneto did not lose his cool. For someone so feared, one of the most powerful supervillains to ever walk the Earth, it seemed to take a lot to provoke him. "At the end of the day, I don't think it's your choice, nor mine. Your friend must make her own choice. And as fate would have it, I do believe I hear voices in a chamber over there. It sounds like Naru and her boyfriend are quite busy. I hope we're not interrupting anything..."

Sailor Moon didn't care for the coyness in Magneto's voice. "Bad enough you want Naru as an Acolyte, Magneto. But try to hurt Umino just because he's human..."

"You worry too much, Sailor Moon," said Magneto airily. "Mystique told Osaka that the humans in her life would be safe on Asteroid M, and that offer is still good. I am hardly the monster humans believe me to be, Tsukino."

"Yeah. I'm wondering if you're worse," Sailor Moon muttered under her breath. She fell in behind Magneto as he followed whatever sounds he heard.

It wasn't long before they found a door leading into what looked like some sort of big office area. Magneto and Sailor Moon peeked inside. Sailor Moon could just make out Naru darting around in the darkness, hard enough given that she had one of those fireproof black leotards on. She seemed to be stuffing things into a backpack, weapons perhaps, then shoving it into someone's arms. The glint coming off eyeglasses let Sailor Moon know it was Umino.

"We've got to hurry it up, Umino, make sure all preparations are complete," came Naru's frantic voice. "X-Men, Sailor Senshi, Brotherhood... No matter who makes it here first, we've got to be out before then. You especially. Magneto's psycho enablers might be in the mood to feast on human flesh for all we know."

"And I thought Tsukino here had a low opinion of me," said Magneto, stepping through the doorway. "I must say, I'm rather hurt, knowing a fellow mutant is ready to believe the worst."

Naru and Umino whirled in his direction. Sailor Moon could barely see them in the lingering darkness, but there was no mistaking their panic.

After staring at Magneto blankly for a moment, Naru suddenly lashed out with an oily tendril. But not at Sailor Moon or Magneto. Rather, Naru aimed for a desk a good distance away. Sailor Moon heard some switches being flipped. "Umino, _GO_!" Naru shouted vehemently. "The car's ready, the barricades will be up by the time you're strapped in! _GO_!" All the while, Sailor Moon could hear dark energy crackling from clenched fists.

"Wait, Naru... Why aren't you teleporting out?" asked Umino.

"Not until I make sure the guy who wouldn't mind seeing your kind wiped off the face of the Earth doesn't follow you!" Naru spat back. "Just _MOVE_!"

Umino glanced anxiously over at Magneto, then back to Naru. With a nervous nod, he slung the backpack over his shoulder and darted off into the darkness.

"Have you forgotten, my offer to see to it that no harm comes to that charming young man?" Magneto asked innocently as he and Sailor Moon stepped closer. "Besides, I'm not here for him, Naru Osaka. I'm here for you."

"Yeah, I figured," sneered Naru. "Of all the mutant kids in Japan, I bet I'd be the prize jewel. That's why you made it so that monorail car would go in the drink, so I'd see things your way, right!?"

"I confess, I did so to open your eyes," said Magneto. "Even if I hadn't forced your hand, you must realize something else would've happened, forcing you to reveal your mutant gifts. But now you've seen how humans react. Throwing away everything to save nearly a score of them didn't matter. They only saw a creature to fear and hate. You were considering becoming an X-Man before, correct? What if you had? Knowing what you know now, could you see that being fulfilling? Would fighting for the X-Men's cause accomplish anything?"

"No! The X-Men have achieved a great deal, Naru!" Sailor Moon cried, shoving aside Magneto a little. "Naru, have you seen what's been going on? There's plenty of humans willing to forgive you! Even Ms. Haruka doesn't care about what happened! She's marching with the rest of them, for all mutants here in Japan! Doesn't that prove what the X-Men are fighting for isn't hopeless!?"

Naru stared at Sailor Moon for a moment. Thanks to how perpetually dark the Witches 5 kept their lair, it was hard to read that stony expression. "Oh, don't worry, Usagi. We've been getting TV down here. Though I admit I missed the news bulletin about Stark Industries joining in," she said insouciantly, glancing at Sailor Moon's left arm. "I'm touched, really. But it's a little too little, too late. And like Magneto said, I've seen too much now. Seen too much of how humanity acts as a collective whole when my kind is involved."

Sailor Moon's heart sank, then sank even more as she heard the glee in Magneto's voice. "Then you understand at last, my dear," he beamed. "You've seen you have no hope of finding a place in their world. So now, if you come with me, I can..."

"Not so fast, Magneto," Naru cut in brusquely. "Just because I'm not hopelessly naïve like Usagi or your old buddy Xavier, that doesn't mean I'm itching to join up with you. Perhaps I could forgive your antics with the monorail. But there's something else, something I refuse to overlook."

Sailor Moon heard the noxious slurp of a tendril. Suddenly, something small and shiny was flung over into Naru's waiting hand. "Umino and I haven't been idly kicking back down here, Magneto. We've been busy, casing where your pal Kizachi is building her Sentinels." Sailor Moon tensed. Naru also figured out where Kizachi was housing the Sentinels? And she was doing reconnaissance there? What for? "I snatched this PDA right under her nose, and Umino broke through the encryption. Turns out this nephew of hers is the reason my mother is dead, not some random bigoted human who was trying to get to me."

Sailor Moon gazed at Naru in shock, her heart aching for her all over again. Just how far were these people willing to go to twist Naru's soul to suit their needs? To break her so that she could be remolded to their liking? She turned to Magneto, tears in her eyes. "Y-Y-Y-You knew about this, didn't you!?" she demanded.

"I can tell from that icy look of his that the mighty Master of Magnetism was aware on some level," sneered Naru. "The question is, how much? Did you and Kizachi cook up this scheme together? Or did she tell you to wreck the monorail first, but not clue you in what her nephew was going to do next?"

Magneto said nothing at first. What warmth there had been in him was replaced with a slowly rising icy fury. "I wished to ensure your mother was safe, remember? I did not find out about her fate until much later that night, Naru. And I was not happy about it."

"Even if you're telling the truth, Magneto, it doesn't matter," said Naru frostily. "I've seen what your Acolytes are about. There's no place for me among them. No, Umino and I have our own plans..."

"But if you plan on teleporting out to rendezvous with him, Naru, you may find that difficult. The X-Men have deployed inhibitors around this base to block your egress," said Magneto. Naru's eyes widened, as if sensing he was right. "But if you won't be persuaded to join my cause, at least let me help you in yours..." With that, Magneto shut his eyes, as if concentrating. "There. I've shorted out each and every one of McCoy's devices." Sailor Moon's jaw dropped, horrified. He was powerful and precise enough to disable them _ALL AT ONCE_!? "Your path is clear now, Naru Osaka. Best of luck to you."

Naru glared at him dubiously. "And you're helping me... why? Kizachi's still your partner, right?"

"Not a very good one if she can't keep her nephew from accidentally killing Mayumi Osaka," said Magneto dismissively. "Perhaps this will teach her to be more prudent."

Nsru kept staring at him, saying nothing. But she wasn't about to turn down this boon. Sailor Moon could practically sense Naru calling forth dark power, preparing to teleport out. Even in the gloomy lab, one could make out the black flames obscuring Naru. "Naru, _WAIT_! Whatever you're planning, it'll probably make things worse!"

"In a sense, it will," said Magneto simply. "So you'd best keep an eye on her."

Magneto raised a hand high, and suddenly, Sailor Moon's left hand was hoisted up as well. With a slashing motion, Magneto hurled Sailor Moon at Naru, just as she had called upon enough dark energy.

"WAAAAAAAH!" cried Sailor Moon, colliding with Naru, just before black flames swallowed them both up. Despite the black blaze, it felt oddly cold. An unnatural, soul-sucking cold that seemed to press down on her from all directions. A stark contrast to the boiling heat exploding from her insides.

It was over in an instant, but it seemed to drag on far too long for Sailor Moon. She immediately sank to her hands and knees, shivering and coughing. It was a minor miracle Umino survived when Naru teleported away from the cram school with him. She hit smooth concrete hard, her head fuzzy. Her vision was blurry as well. "Ugh... I'm sticking with the Sailor Teleport, that's for sure," Sailor Moon muttered weakly.

She stayed there for a moment, trying to catch her breath. Sailor Moon wondered why Naru let her. Looking up, her vision clearing, Sailor Moon saw she was surrounded by crates. As she craned her neck up further, Sailor Moon tensed. She could make out faces of what had to be Kizachi's Sentinels. They stared straight ahead, aimlessly. They were an unsettling thing to behold, but for now, they were dormant.

Hearing movement around the crates, Sailor Moon whirled around. Naru herself was stumbling out, one hand on a crate to steady herself. Teleporting must still be taxing for her, and Magneto slamming her into Naru for the ride must have disoriented her as well. Still, after shaking her head, Naru looked up and away from Sailor Moon, as if she didn't realize she tagged along. Without a word, black flames roared around her as she teleported somewhere else.

Sailor Moon looked around frantically. But here among these crates, with that crosswalk overhead, she couldn't spot where Naru teleported to. A scream soon echoed within what was probably an underground chamber. Then, the lights dimmed as a klaxon began blaring, followed by the flashes of emergency lights.

With things spiraled out of control, Sailor Moon hopped atop a crate, then jumped up onto the crosswalk. It took some effort to ignore the blank stares of all those Sentinels. And the terrified scientists and technicians up on the crosswalk ignored both them _AND_ her. They pushed past Sailor Moon in their mad dash to escape.

Looking in the direction they ran from, it was easy to see why. The flames from one of Naru's teleports had just died away. She walked along the crosswalk, still oblivious of Sailor Moon. Naru fired blasts of black lightning down at the ground level, coaxing more of Kizachi's workers to flee, screaming. Then Naru looked ahead, and tensed.

When Sailor Moon looked to the far end of the crosswalk, she saw why. Her white lab coat, combined with flashing lights reflecting off those opaque glasses, made Erina Kizachi stand out. She and Naru simply stared at each other for a moment. Kizachi seemed as calm and collected as ever, while Sailor Moon sensed Naru was ready to explode with fury.

"Well, you've certainly made what was a quiet night with a skeleton crew a lot livelier," Kizachi said conversationally. "Can I assume that whatever you plugged into the facility's control room is locking me out, preventing the Sentinels' activation? Not to mention sealing all the exits, and cutting off all contact with the outside? To what end?"

"That, you'll never know," spat Naru. "I was hoping to track down your nephew first, so I could rip his head off right in front of you. But since you're here... Might as well kill you now and be done with it. This is for my mother, and for all mutants!"

Naru reached back, collecting dark power to hurl at Kizachi. Kizachi still didn't move. She simply stared quizzically at Naru, as if oblivious to being in mortal peril.

Sailor Moon couldn't just stand by, however. Kizachi had to be exposed, shown for the manipulative monster she was. Naru would only succeed in making Kizachi a martyr if she went through with cold-blooded murder. Not only that, Sailor Moon refused to let Naru cross that line. Whatever else was going on, she was still here to save Naru's soul.

"Naru, _NO_!" Sailor Moon cried out. She raised her left hand and concentrated, willing her Iron Man part to draw power from the Ginzuishou. Naru turned just in time to catch a Ginzuishou-fueled repulsor blast with her face.

Naru's blast went wild, striking feebly against a Sentinel faceplate as she toppled over, letting out a scream. Kizachi looked down as Naru landed flat on her back, then over at Sailor Moon. The roboticist said nothing, merely smiling evilly at her.

All of a sudden, Sailor Moon understood. This was Magneto and Kizachi's plan all along. For whatever reason, they wanted the both of them here. So that one of them would tear the other apart.

"Urgh, fine. She can live a minute longer," Naru spat as she grabbed the crosswalk's railing to pull herself up. "So that's why I had such a rough teleport. An old friend tagged along..." Naru leered at Sailor Moon, cracking her knuckles as ooze flowed up her face and arms.

"Naru, don't do this," Sailor Moon pleaded softly. "Even after all that's happened, I refuse to believe you're really a murderer. Besides, if you kill her, you'll only make things worse for mutants!"

"Not as bad as Tokyo is going to have it come sunrise!" Naru snarled. She charged, and Sailor Moon cut loose with another repulsor blast. Naru grabbed the railing and flipped herself over it, barely evading the shot. The slurp of Naru's oil slick told Sailor Moon she planned to swing back up. As Sailor Moon expected, she used her tendril like Spider-Man's web to do just that. Tears in her eyes, Sailor Moon leaped up to meet her, delivering a vicious uppercut with her armored fist to Naru's jaw.

Naru fell back onto the crosswalk hard, looking dizzy. She must have been surprised anyone could hit her that hard. When Sailor Moon touched down, she saw that Kizachi was gone. Of course, at the moment, Kizachi was the least of her worries. Naru sprang back up, letting Sailor Moon have it with tendrils and a volley of black lightning.

"Moon Tiara Action!" Sailor Moon shouted tearfully. Her blazing tiara spun around her, slicing up and forcing back the tendrils whipping at her, while a continuous repulsor blast beat back Naru's dark energy. Just like with Jupiter's lightning, Ginzuishou-powered weaponry was swiftly overpowering Naru. Unfortunately, Naru wasn't about to let herself be blown away like before. Slurping up her oil slick, Naru ducked and rolled under the repulsor blast, springing back up with her fist reared back to clock Sailor Moon.

"I was hoping you'd try that!" Sailor Moon cried as she put her tiara back on and caught Naru's incoming fist. Naru stared at her hand in shock, still not quite believing this gauntlet let Sailor Moon pull all this off. She got another nasty surprise when the gauntlet expanded outward. A series of rings slid down Naru's arm and contracted to latch onto it. A continuous jolt of electricity followed, along with a spray of icy mist. Naru screamed in horror, sinking to her knees. "Come on, come on, come on... Give it up, just give it up!" Sailor Moon pleaded, disgusted with herself for resorting to this.

"N-N-N-Never!" Naru spat through chattering teeth over the crackle of electricity. "T-T-T-These Sentinels... Umino and I are taking them!"

With a snarl, Naru rose and hoisted up Sailor Moon now that they were joined together. Despite the flow of electricity and mist, Naru slammed Sailor Moon down onto the crosswalk over and over.

"Ow ow ow ow ow ow," muttered Sailor Moon, the impacts rattling her to the core. Eventually, she was forced to have the gauntlet relinquish its hold. Naru tried to stomp on her face once they separated, but Sailor Moon rolled aside under the railing, letting herself fall to the ground level.

Painful as all that was, Sailor Moon still found the strength to rise to her feet. Just in time, as Naru touched down a few meters away. "Some humans might forgive me, but the rest will still hate me just for being born, Sailor Moon. One of these Sentinels coming after me is proof of that," she spat. "The only way Umino and I will be safe, the only way they'll ever learn, is if we use these Sentinels ourselves! You're _NOT_ getting in our way!"

Dark energy crackled in Naru's clenched fists as she advanced, hate and rage in her eyes. Sailor Moon could only stare back tearfully as she focused more power into her gauntlet, realizing the stakes were now much higher. Magneto and Kizachi couldn't have planned this better. Naru was determined to get control of these Sentinels, and they knew Sailor Moon couldn't let that happen.

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Sailor Mercury gagged, feeling like the life was being choked out of her. Then again, it essentially was. Unuscione's glowing, green psionic exoskeleton was pressing her up against the tunnel wall, as well as clamping down on her throat. Her vision was getting blurry, but Mercury could still make out Unuscione's murderous glare, hovering less than a meter from her face. "I don't see what's so special about you Sailor Senshi. Even with this so-called planetary power, you're still weak, worthless _Homo sapiens_. How nauseating, to think Eclipse ever idolized you lot," she sneered.

Mercury tuned her out. There was no sense arguing with a fanatic like Unuscione. Besides, the breath she fought for could be put to better use. Mercury drew in as much as she could, while fighting against that psionic exoskeleton to raise her hands. "M-M-M-Mercury..." she croaked. "A-A-A-Aqua... Rhapsody!" The harp formed in her hands, and the tendrils of freezing water slammed into Unuscione at point-blank range, forcing her back. Her hold on Mercury loosened, and she slumped to the damp ground, gagging.

As tough as she was, Unuscione had limits, and her psionic exoskeleton had taken plenty of beatings. Hopefully, they were wearing all these Acolytes down. The way they fought... Genocidal as they were, they seemed more interested in keeping their team occupied than slaughtering them outright. They had to force their way past them, somehow.

Unuscione stood back up on wobbly legs. "So, a little fight left after all," Unuscione spat. "Then let's..." Mercury never heard the rest. Instead, there was a roar like a lion's. Suddenly, Frenzy was hurled at Unuscione, knocking them both further down the tunnel.

Meanwhile, Mercury saw that Venus was ducking and weaving around the Kleinstocks while brandishing her Love-Me Chain. She succeeded in hog-tying the Kleinstocks, and they collapsed onto the tunnel floor. The chain wasn't strong enough to hold them indefinitely, but Chibi-Moon had that covered. She transformed the Luna-P into a gun and aimed it close to both their faces. "Sleep," was all she said, and the gun sprayed out pink gas. Moments later, the Kleinstocks were dozing.

"That's a rather powerful sedative," said Beast. "When this is over, may I trouble you for a sample?" Beast lumbered past the Senshi, glaring at Unuscione and Frenzy. Both were struggling to stand, and beyond them, Exodus and Cable were still battling it out. Now that she wasn't busy fighting for her life, Mercury could sense the incredible power both were using against each other.

When her visor reappeared to feed her data, her eyes widened. Exodus's power was on par with some of their worst enemies, like Demande and Kaolinite. Yet Cable kept him at bay, though he showed signs of strain. Just how powerful was this time-traveler? No wonder Chibi-Moon had a hard time trusting him.

Venus, however, was undeterred. "I don't care what Cable said. We're giving him a hand with the Golden Shoulders Boy," she jeered. "Frenzy, Unuscione... Move or we go through you!"

Frenzy and Unuscione glared back at them, blazing hatred in their eyes. But before anyone could strike, a new arrival suddenly appeared. There was a green glow and a plume of similarly-colored smoke. When they faded, another woman in an Acolyte uniform was standing beside Frenzy and Unuscione. She had long, red hair and was striking beautiful, yet there was a sad look in her eyes that belied the bitterness most of the Acolytes exuded.

"I've just received word from Lord Magneto, Exodus. It is done!" cried the new arrival.

Despite still locking horns with Cable, Exodus turned and smiled. "Excellent, Amelia Voght. Transport your fellow Acolytes away from here, then retrieve the Brotherhood. Our work here tonight is done." With that, Exodus suddenly vanished in a bright flash, leaving behind a frustrated and fuming Cable.

Amelia Voght wasted no time. She spread her arms, and that green smoke washed over Unuscione and Frenzy. Some even blew past Mercury, spreading over the slumbering Kleinstocks. Bright, green light flooded the tunnel. Once it faded, the Acolytes were nowhere to be seen.

"Uh, what just happened?" Artemis asked delicately.

"Amelia Voght happened, once a... friend of the Professor," Beast said hesitantly. "She teleported her teammates away, but why?"

"She said something about Magneto," said Venus. "You don't suppose... Was he down here doing something? Is that what the Acolytes were keeping us from?"

"And the Brotherhood, according to Exodus," spat Cable. "They must've engaged the other two teams."

"In all likelihood, it had something to do with Naru," said Beast. "But if Magneto has known where she was hiding all along, he could have ordered Voght to teleport Naru to Asteroid M at any time. No, there was some other nefarious scheme afoot here tonight."

"Whatever it is, we won't get any answers standing around here," said Cable. "The Acolytes just booked, so should we. The path to the Witches 5's old lab is clear!" He didn't even bother with ordering them to get back in formation. Cable simply took off down the tunnel, expecting the others to follow.

Mercury fell in behind Cable with the others. All the while, she glanced down at her computer, calling out which direction they should take. It wasn't long before they came across a tunnel that was blocked off. And right next to the rubble was Tuxedo Kamen and Lockheed, pinned to the wall with mangled pipes.

"Oh my stars and garters," grumbled Beast. "Our old friend was indeed here."

"No kidding!" Tuxedo Kamen snapped as Beast got to work pulling the pipes apart. "Magneto's cronies separated us from the rest of our team. Then, he must've brought part of the tunnel down to trap Sailor Moon in there with him!"

"Oh no... He's got Sailor Moon with him!?" cried Chibi-Moon.

"Don't worry. If Magneto wanted your future mother dead, he would've just impaled her with one of these pipes," Cable pointed out. Chibi-Moon glared at him, her fears not exactly placated. Plus, there was the lingering frustration from Cable keeping information from them all. Apocalypse was liable to rise again, possibly in Chibi-Moon's time?

"Besides, I'd... know if something like that happened," said Tuxedo Kamen uneasily as he dropped down from the wall. "I can sense the danger she's in, but it's not as... close as it should be."

"Let's get to the Witches 5 headquarters, then," suggested Artemis. Lockheed even seemed to snort in agreement.

Cable used his telekinesis to lift up all the debris, just long enough for everyone to slip under it. Their team pressed forward, soon coming across steel barricades that some force ripped in half. "As if we needed any more proof that Magneto's been here," Chibi-Moon grumbled as she stepped through. Mercury shivered. Cable barely handled Exodus, and against Magneto, his techno-organic components made him vulnerable. Could the rest of them possibly beat him back?

At last, they came across an open door. They stepped through, the ground shrouded in some perpetual mist, with only the pipes overhead easy to make out in the dim light. "Form up, team. An ambush can come from any direction," Cable hissed. Venus and Chibi-Moon muttered something, but complied, covering Cable's rear. Tuxedo Kamen already had his cane and some roses at the ready, a determined look on his face. Mercury scanned the area, and she was certain Cable was doing the same with his bionic eye.

Something on the readout jumped out at Mercury. "We've got one infrared signature, in the adjacent chamber."

"Then let's go. Be ready for anything," whispered Cable.

They rushed into the next chamber. Darkness permeated this area just as much. Still, it was easy to make out a figure clad in dark red and purple, wearing a red helmet.

For once, Mercury let raw instinct taking over, a watery harp forming in her hands. No introduction, no fancy speech, just strike while she had the chance. As Magneto slowly turned around, she shouted, "Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" Streams of freezing water lanced out, as did a volley from Venus's Crescent Beam Shower. Magneto spread his arms. Suddenly, some sort of ethereal bubble appeared around him, crackling with electricity. Their attacks struck forcefully against that bubble, so hard the chamber shook, but his defense held. Even after Cable joined in with ray telekinetic power.

"And I thought Tsukino had been disappointed to see me," Magneto said calmly over the din of their combined onslaught pummeling his shield. He spoke perfect Japanese, surprising Mercury a little. He levitated himself off the ground, curiously staring back at them, waiting for their attacks to abate. "No doubt you're all worried about your princess, and her old friend. Unfortunately, you will find neither here."

"What have you done with them, Magneto!?" Beast roared.

"To Naru Osaka, nothing. Except help her, by disabling your little devices that prevented her from teleporting away," said Magneto. Mercury heard Beast growl under his breath. "Tsukino, on the other hand... I punched her a ticket to where Osaka took off to. If you were wondering why you can't sense your love close by, Chiba, there's your answer."

"And just where is that!?" demanded Cable.

Magneto chuckled. "I think it's best to leave those two girls alone, to work out their differences. And there will be another time to settle ours. My work is done, and there's nothing gained by fighting you here, so I shall take my leave." Magneto turned and floated away, using his power to plough right through a wall, leaving them all with their frustration and rage.

"H-H-H-He just ran away!?" cried Venus incredulously, sounding insulted. "You X-Men said he was powerful enough to eat Queen Beryl for breakfast, and have enough room for the Black Moon Clan for dessert!"

"As bitter and vengeful as Magneto is, Venus, he typically does not engage without what he feels is just cause," said Beast.

"Or if he feels there's nothing worthwhile to be gained, like he said," added Cable. "This stunt with making Sailor Moon hitch a ride with Eclipse, that must've been his game all along."

"So Magneto and Kizachi wanted Sailor Moon and Naru to go at it again?" asked Tuxedo Kamen. "I see how that helps Kizachi. Her whole aim has been to break Sailor Moon by manipulating Naru into fighting her. But what does Magneto get out of helping to bring that about?"

"Don't know if this really answers anything," came Artemis's hesitant voice. They all turned to see Artemis walking back from somewhere, Lockheed fluttering close behind. "But Lockheed and I just noticed a Sentinel head in what looks like their garage. Naru must've torn it open, and wires are hooked up to its insides."

Beast and Cable took a moment to ponder this, but the answer came to Mercury almost instantly. "The Sentinels... Thanks to Umino, Naru's also figured out where they are. With direct access to a Sentinel's data core, who knows what else she's had Umino learn about them? Or what he can do with the rest?"

"Wait, you mean Naru wants the Sentinels for herself!?" Venus cried in disbelief. "Make Umino reprogram them!? That's crazy!"

"We've seen many young, troubled mutants try crazier, to feed their desire to lash out at a world that hates and fears them," said Beast somberly.

"Then we've got to regroup and get to her," said Cable. "Unfortunately, whatever the Witches 5 have up that interferes with telepathic probes is still working. And now it seems to interfere with my systems in such a way, I can't bodyslide."

Mercury rushed over to the nearest desk, and plugged her computer into the one there. "Bad news, Nathan. Magneto did a good job frying the bulk of the systems here before he fled. It's going to take some time to figure out how to turn the Witches 5's old defenses off."

"Do whatever it takes, Sailor Mercury," said Cable. "The sooner the X-Men and Senshi get over there to put a stop to this madness, the better." Mercury nodded, then looked back down to her computer, typing furiously. She understood Cable's unspoken implication. If they didn't regroup and rush to Sailor Moon's side soon, either she'd be pummeled into a pulp, or be forced to do so to Naru.

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With a furious snarl, Naru picked up the forklift and hurled it Sailor Moon's way. However, Sailor Moon didn't jump out of the way, or even yelp in fear. She held up her left hand and caught the forklift as it came down. It skidded across the facility's ground level, sending up sparks, but soon it came to a halt. With one hand, Sailor Moon picked it back up, twirled around, and threw it right back at Naru.

"Oh come on, at least call out something as you throw it back!" Naru spat as she ducked aside. The forklift sailed right over her, slamming into a support pillar instead. "Like 'Moon Forklift Brilliance' or something..."

"Yeah, well, Iron Man's stuff doesn't exactly work like usual Senshi gear, does it?" Sailor Moon asked dismissively.

Naru grit her teeth. She had put Usagi behind her, was determined to forget about her. Now she had to butt into her business at the worst possible time. Worse, somehow she got hold of something from Iron Man's arsenal, letting her counter her powers more easily. There was something quite galling about that. "It's disappointing, really. Here I once thought Sailor Moon was unbeatable. Now you need to use Iron Man's tech as a crutch?"

Sailor Moon raised an eyebrow quizzically. "Whining about someone using technology to counter mutant powers? That's something Magneto or the Acolytes would say. I thought you said you were nothing like them."

"In some ways, I'm getting close," Naru admitted. "Like I said, I'm here for the Sentinels. Once Umino gets over here and jacks in, they'll be ours. Then I'll give the people of Japan a _REAL_ reason to be afraid of me!"

Sailor Moon sighed. A long, sad sigh. "And Luna and some of the others were telling me trying to reason with you one last time was a waste of time. It looks like they were right."

"You really thought I would go back?" Naru demanded. "You thought that because of this movement you started, I'd forget about all the people who screamed for my mother's head!? Who tormented Umino because he dared to love me!? Sorry Sailor Moon. Keep believing in love and justice if you want. I've seen too much of the ugly side of humanity."

"So you're choosing only to see the ugliness?" Sailor Moon asked, tears in her eyes. "Funny... I remember a friend willing to tank my tiara, because she chose to believe there was good in a Dark Kingdom agent. Because she chose to believe in love's power."

Despite everything, despite being determined to harden her heart, Sailor Moon's words hit home. Naru blinked in surprise, starting to tear up as well.

"And now, all that's left of Nephrite is in you, Naru," Sailor Moon went on. "He was proof that people with even the darkest hearts can change. Do you think he'd want you to use his powers this way? And what about your mother, Naru? Is this what she'd want?"

Naru couldn't stop the tears from flowing now. The mere mention of those she had lost was too much. It was true. Because of her, at least Nephrite was able to remember what it meant to love.

She looked up, at some of the Sentinels. This whole mess started when Masato Sanjoin came to Erina Kizachi, convincing her to make them in secret. In a strange way, things were coming full circle. "Nephrite died to save me, Sailor Moon. But before that, he spurred the creation of these Sentinels," said Naru. Eyes still full of tears, she glared back at Sailor Moon. "Things are coming full circle. I think Nephrite would want me to take them. As for my mother... I think she'd want to still be here! But don't worry. At least I don't blame all humans for that. No, now I know which two humans are responsible."

Sailor Moon shook her head. "I can't let that happen, either. You caused enough of a panic in Japan already. Killing Kizachi will make things even worse for mutants in this country. Remember what the X-Men showed us, what would've happened if Robert Kelly died that day? Think, Naru! Kill her, and you could trigger something worse!"

Naru glowered at Sailor Moon. "I. Don't. Care. Anymore."

Sailor Moon sighed again. "I was afraid you'd say that. I'm sorry, Naru, but I have to end this. One way or another." She raised her left hand and fired off another repulsor blast, but her aim was off.

At first, Naru just thought her aim was terrible, but Sailor Moon had been on target with that repulsor ray before. When she turned around, Naru's eyes widened. Sailor Moon had aimed for the propane tank on that forklift instead, and it blew up in her face.

The explosion flung her toward Sailor Moon. Naru twisted in midair just in time to see Sailor Moon's rearing back with her armored fist. Her eyes widened just as Sailor Moon landed a bone-jarring hook to her face, sending her flying back the way she came. Naru smashed right through that support beam, then through a solid concrete wall at the chamber's far end.

Groaning, Naru propped herself up on all fours. Some of the rubble slid off of her. Despite how her ears were ringing, she heard Sailor Moon's footsteps drawing closer. When Naru could finally get up on one knee, she glimpsed Sailor Moon through the gaping hole her body made. She was only a few meters away. That was when Naru was aware of something very wrong. Casting a venomous sideways glance at Sailor Moon, Naru swished something around in her mouth a little. Then, she spat out some blood, along with one of her back teeth.

Sailor Moon could only stare back in blank shock, eyes wide with horror. Dense as she could be, at least Sailor Moon knew she was _REALLY_ in for it now!

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To think, Erina Kizachi hid her Sentinels so close to where Umino had Naru practice using her mutant powers all these months! Apparently, Masato Sanjoin had bought up most of this property and sat on it. Perhaps he had intended it for this very purpose all along. And after his death, Kizachi managed to absorb some of his assets, to continue work on the Sentinels he commissioned.

Umino slunk through the darkness. If Naru did her job right, this one secret entrance to Kizachi's underground facility would be completely cordoned off and look impassible, incentivizing her workers to look elsewhere for an escape route. That was, assuming Naru managed to teleport away from Magneto.

Coming face-to-face with the monsters the Sailor Senshi fought hadn't prepared him for the sight of Magneto walking in on them. He was always this specter, this mutant bogeyman everyone learned to fear. And in turn, because of his antics, all mutants were viewed with suspicion and fear, like Naru.

"Not like what we're planning to do tonight will prove anyone wrong," Umino grumbled as he took out a bolt cutter. He made short work of the chain keeping the gate shut. For a moment, he thought he heard footsteps behind him. Instinctively, Umino ducked close to the building, hoping the shadows hid him. All the cops were on edge, thanks to the Sailor Senshi organizing that massive breakout. And who knew if they were in cahoots with Kizachi? He couldn't afford to be seen, not when he was so close.

Long moments passed before Umino was confident it was only his imagination. Sighing, he slipped through the gate and ran around the side of the building. How many times had he and Naru passed it, never guessing what was hidden below? Well, soon enough, those Sentinels would be theirs. Umino didn't care much for the idea of controlling and maintaining what was essentially death with legs and a jet turbine. But Naru insisted they needed them to survive.

He found the door Naru told him about, and ripped open a nearby electrical box. Whipping up a portable computer of his own from what the Death Busters left behind had been child's play. Within seconds, he was in. The door opened, as did the steel barricades right behind it, similar to the ones the Witches 5 had around their lair.

It was dark inside, which suited Umino just fine. Less chance of being seen. The Witches 5 left behind a plethora of weapons waiting to be repaired, but Umino fervently hoped there would be no need to use them.

Thankfully, he came across no one as he snuck down to the lower levels. Soon enough, the distracting flashes of warning lights danced before his eyes. Obviously, Naru gave Magneto the slip, and was waiting for Umino to do his part. Her ploy was working, too. She had secretly mapped out most of Kizachi's facility, and during the entire trek to the control room, Umino still encountered no one. Well, unless you counted the people stationed there, who were now sprawled out on the floor. No doubt Naru made swift work of them with blasts of dark power, plugged his device into the main computer to seal off the facility, then got to work sweeping for the remainder of the staff.

Umino took a moment to glance down at the people Naru took out. Kizachi wasn't among them. Umino felt a little relieved. He hoped Naru was just venting after he decrypted the data on Kizachi's PDA. Naru never killed any of the yakuza she targeted, regardless of how much some might have deserved it. Still, Umino found himself feeling for a pulse on her closest victim. Thready, but it was there.

Feeling a bit relieved, Umino pulled out his custom computer again, jacking it into the control room's. Even after taking several days to study Erina Kizachi's unique programming language, this would be delicate work. That code spoke volumes to him, betraying Kizachi's determination to not have her work blow up in her face like Bolivar Trask's did. Wresting away control of her Sentinels would take time.

Umino became so engrossed in his task, he barely noticed the control room trembled from time to time. One particularly forceful jolt made Umino look up. He gazed up, looking out through the master control room's huge window. From there, he could see the upper torso and heads of all the Sentinels. Nearly thirty of them, all aligned along the right wall. All eerily motionless, staring straight ahead. It was best to take change of them, before Kizachi found a way past his stopgap measure and turned them on.

He was about to look back down and get on with it, but then Umino took another look at those Sentinels. There was something fast, and brightly colored, hopping along that row of Sentinel heads! It was Sailor Moon, looking quite panicked! How did she follow Naru here so quickly!?

Whatever was going on, it looked more like Sailor Moon was desperately trying to _GET AWAY_ from Naru. Naru ran along the crosswalk, firing blasts of black lightning up at her. They seemed to suck in with little light the flashes from the warning lights provided. In stark contrast to how panicked Sailor Moon looked, Naru looked angrier than ever! Considering the blood streaming down her face, maybe she had reason to be.

Sailor Moon swerved atop a Sentinel head to avoid another burst of black lightning, her right hand going to her tiara. Umino couldn't hear her scream out her attack. He glanced down, looking for the switch that would open up the audio channel. It took a few seconds to find it. After he looked back up, Umino breathed a sigh of relief. The tiara didn't slice Naru in half. Sailor Moon had aimed for the crosswalk, making it crumble under Naru's feet.

Unfortunately for Sailor Moon, Naru latched onto a different Sentinel, and part of the crosswalk that still stood, with her oil slick. She used it to slingshot herself up toward the Sentinel that Sailor Moon stood on. However, despite all of Naru's practice with her powers, Sailor Moon was still faster, and had far more actual battle experience. She deftly sidestepped as Naru came rocketing toward her, and this time, Umino could hear her cry out.

"Sailor Moon Kick!" she screamed, nailing Naru in the back while she was off-balance. That couldn't hurt Naru, but it knocked her down onto the head. And thus bought Sailor Moon time to reach down and grab a handful of Naru's hair with that weird gauntlet. It almost looked like something off of an Iron Man suit. After seeing Sailor Moon slam Naru's face onto the Sentinel's head hard enough to make a small dent, Umino figured it just might be. "Don't make me knock out _ALL_ your teeth, Naru! This has to stop!" Sailor Moon pleaded.

It all fell on deaf ears. As Sailor Moon pulled Naru's head back, she elbowed their old friend hard in the gut. That would've pulped the vital organs of just about anyone else. Sailor Moon just staggered back, falling hard on her butt as she nursed her aching tummy. However, she deftly sprang back up when Naru came at her, catching her wrist with an armored fist just as she was about to strike.

As dark energy washed over Sailor Moon, eliciting screams, an electrical discharge and spray of freezing mist from that gauntlet made Naru wince in pain. "T-T-T-This isn't stopping until I go and rip off Erina Kizachi's face, Sailor Moon. Just so I can make it into a wallet, and put it in my back pocket and _SIT_ on it!" Naru hissed over the crackle of electricity. "And by then, Umino will have jacked into these Sentinels, and put them under my control!"

"Aaaaaaaaaaah! J-J-J-Just why are you so determined to take them!?" Sailor Moon demanded.

"Like I told you, Sailor Moon... I'm going to _USE_ them!" Naru snarled. Even after everything that happened between them, Umino was shocked by the venom in Naru's voice. "The government gave Kizachi the go-ahead to send a Sentinel after me!? Fine! I'll use them to raze the National Diet Building and the Prime Minister's residence to the ground! Turn their last hope against them! And so help me Sailor Moon, if I have to go over your broken corpse to do it, I'll..."

Naru was cut off when Sailor Moon's brooch suddenly opened up, unleashing a bright flash of raw power. It blasted Naru off the Sentinel's head, clear across the chamber until her backside collided with the adjacent wall. She limply fell, and Umino heard her smack onto solid concrete below. Despite knowing of her toughness, Umino couldn't help but wince.

Sailor Moon, meanwhile, sank to one knee, trying to catch her breath. After a moment, she hopped onto part of the crosswalk still standing, then down to the ground level. Wherever Naru and Sailor Moon were now, Umino couldn't see them, but heard their battle rage on.

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Naru caught Sailor Moon with another blast of dark energy, slamming her into the front of a semi truck. Sailor Moon doubled over in pain, but she knew she couldn't let this slow her down. Naru was a good distance away, but one teleport could bridge the gap in an instant. However, Naru was running right at her instead. Whether this was because she was being worn down or wasn't practiced enough with teleportation yet, Sailor Moon wasn't sure. She only knew she had precious few seconds to act.

With a wail, Sailor Moon turned and plunged her armored fist through the semi truck's grill. Just as Naru was about to charge into her, Sailor Moon ripped out the truck's entire engine and bludgeoned Naru with it. This knocked Naru to the floor, and Sailor Moon didn't let up. She kept slamming the engine down onto Naru again and again, tears in her eyes. Each impact made the chamber quake. "Just give it up, just stay down!" she cried. "I can't let you use these Sentinels, Naru! And I can't let you kill in cold blood!"

As Sailor Moon brought the engine back down again, Naru suddenly reached up to grab it. A tendril snaked up and grabbed Sailor Moon's neck from behind, and she was flung away. Naru contemptuously tossed aside the engine as she stepped closer. Then, she reached out with her tendrils, and lifted up the rest of the semi truck with them instead!

Sailor Moon glanced fearfully at what Naru had suspended above her, but then got an idea. Her right hand went to her tiara once again. "Moon Tiara Action!" There was a brief flash of fear in Naru's face, replaced with confusion when she saw the tiara wasn't coming straight for her. The tiara sliced through her tendrils, causing the truck to fall on top of her.

Sailor Moon stood there for a moment, wondering if this was enough to knock her out. Her hopes were rudely dashed when the truck shook slightly, then was flung right at her. With a wail, Sailor Moon leaped aside. " _SERIOUSLY_!? Dropping a truck on me like in some American cartoon!?" Naru spat. "Not to mention... _UGH_! I don't want to think of how much pizza and sushi I'll have to eat to replace all this lost gunk!"

Sailor Moon glanced down at all the black goo splattered around Naru. Shrugging her shoulders, she said, "Can't you just suck it all back up?"

Naru's eyes brightened. "Good idea!" she cried, flinging tendrils down at the puddles of severed gunk. They were slurped back up, and Naru leered at Sailor Moon, brandishing her deadly tendrils once more.

 _Oh, real smart, Usagi!_ Sailor Moon fumed inwardly as she ducked and dove around those hammering tendrils. This just wasn't working. She couldn't bear using her tiara at its highest power levels on Naru again, and Beast warned she'd blow her gauntlet's circuits if too much of the Ginzuishou's power was channeled through it. _Is it time to try something else?_ After cartwheeling away from another tendril strike, Sailor Moon produced her Moon Kaleidoscope.

 _How can I be sure this will work?_ She wondered fearfully. _Without Pegasus lending a hand, will it be too little power, or still way too much?_ Another tendril was coming at her, fast. She had to make a choice. Rearing her right arm back, she screamed out, "Moon Gorgeous Meditation!" She thrust the kaleidoscope forward. Her blast of pure, magical energy shot out, reality itself seemingly fracturing in its wake, and struck Naru dead-center. But not before she managed to strike Sailor Moon with that tendril.

Both their screams echoed as Sailor Moon was flung back, through the hole Naru made after being punched across the chamber. She landed hard on some of the rubble. Gritting her teeth, her eyes screwed shut, Sailor Moon struggled to sit up as tears streamed down her cheeks. She felt battered and bruised all over, and her heart ached from having to hold less and less back against Naru.

A sardonic voice made Sailor Moon's eyes snap open. "Well, this has been a most intriguing experiment. Goddess against woman, light against darkness, optimism against resignation..." Sitting up, she saw Kizachi standing just beyond the hole in the wall, smiling. "You haven't won yet, though. Your finisher did a number on her, but Naru's proving as resilient as you are."

Sailor Moon sprang back up on wobbly legs. "Y-Y-You planned all of this!" she snarled. "You had your Sentinel throw that fight with Naru, counting on her using its head to find this place..."

"And then have Lehnsherr punch you a ticket for a trip here with her, you got it," Kizachi beamed. "Didn't I tell you, all of your failures would be laid bare? It was too little too late, what you're doing for Naru's kind. The kindling has already been lit, and your new recruits won't be enough to stamp out the blaze now. The war for mutantkind's fate is here to tear our country apart, whether you like it or not. And whatever happens here, you lose something."

Sailor Moon narrowed her eyes. "Maybe I _SHOULD_ let Naru have ten seconds alone with you..."

Kizachi kept on grinning. "But you won't. You'll hold out hope for your old friend, and the people of Japan, until the very end. And that hope will be your undoing."

Sailor Moon opened her mouth again, but the crackle of dark energy made her look back out into the chamber. Just as Kizachi said, Moon Gorgeous Meditation failed to keep Naru down for long. She was a good distance away, but slowly staggering forward, black lightning arcing over clenched fists. Sailor Moon risked a glance back at Kizachi, but she had vanished again.

Stumbling through the hole to face Naru again, Sailor Moon drew upon the Ginzuishou with her gauntlet while brandishing her Moon Kaleidoscope. Naru kept flaunting her dark power, and now formed some tendrils. Both of them had put each other through the wringer, yet neither was ready to admit defeat. Sailor Moon refused to let Naru take these Sentinels or kill Kizachi, no matter how much it stabbed at her heart. And Naru wouldn't let anything get in the way of her vengeance, not even her old friend.

They glared at each other, waiting for the other to make a move. Naturally, Sailor Moon found her patience ebbing first. She raised her trembling left arm, her gauntlet humming as it readied a repulsor blast. However, that noise was drowned out by something else. Something else was powering up. Something _BIG_.

Sailor Moon's gaze slowly drifted up and over to the Sentinels. One of the closer ones... Its sallow eyes glowed, and slowly it loosed itself from its harness. Its gaze swept the chamber's floor, fixing upon the two of them.

"Good game, Sailor Moon, but this is checkmate. I just got myself a whole bunch more chess pieces," Naru beamed at her. "OK, Umino, end this! Take her out!"

Sailor Moon said nothing as she stared up at the Sentinel in disbelief, frozen in place. She hadn't been quick enough. Now, just like Kizachi said, Naru would make sure the fires of war would rise all over Japan. The Sentinel raised its left arm, a missile popping out from its forearm. It aimed, and fired. Sailor Moon shut her eyes, braced for the end.

A deafening boom went off and the chamber shook, but Sailor Moon felt nothing. Confused, Sailor Moon opened her eyes to see that Naru was no longer staring there. She spotted Naru up against the adjacent wall, a shocked look of her own etched on her face. The missile struck _HER_ instead!?

"I'm sorry, Naru, but... I-I-I-I can't do this anymore," came Umino's voice over the base's intercom. "Using these Sentinels to take out government buildings... How many people would get killed in the crossfire, Naru? And even if Erina Kizachi deserves whatever she gets, fighting Sailor Moon to the death? Our friend, despite everything that's happened? I-I-I-I'm sorry, Naru. If you're so full of hate you'd do all this, I-I-I-I guess you're not the girl I fell in love with anymore."

Sailor Moon thought nothing could make her heart twist and ache even more. But now, as she saw Naru leaning against the wall, completely dumbstruck as tears flowed down her face, she realized how wrong she was. Thanks to Umino, Sailor Moon had won. Not only against Naru, but this was something Kizachi probably hadn't counted on. Still, seeing Naru crack like this made her victory taste as bitter as defeat.

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Not much more to add, since I won't be seeing _Deadpool 2_ until a few days after this goes up. If you read this before beholding what may be the last chance to see Ryan Reynolds yuck it up, before he steps into the role of a Pokémon, the [TRUCK HORN] is wrong with you? And speaking of Deadpool, if I ever do a _Sailor Moon X2_ , you damn sure he'll be in it. Oh, it will be fun to picture Uranus and Neptune meeting him for the first time...

So long,

Grey-X


	29. Winning by Losing

**Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse**

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 29: Winning by Losing

5-31-2018

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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For long moments, nothing moved in that Sentinel chamber. The Sentinel that fired on Naru was now motionless, and none of the others stirred. Sailor Moon looked from that Sentinel to Naru, not quite believing how the battle suddenly tipped in her favor. Naru couldn't believe it herself. How could Umino do this!? She made sure no one would hurt him, pledged to get him whatever he wanted! Together, they could've done anything! And now, he had thrown it all away, cruelly turning on her when she needed him most!

Sailor Moon sank to one knee, sobbing and shaking her head. The battle had taken a toll on her as well. Now would be the perfect time to strike, but Naru was quite bloody and beaten herself. And of course, it felt like someone ripped out her heart all over again. Betrayed by Umino, the boy completely obsessed with her, who promised to love her no matter what!? Bad enough how Nephrite was taken from her, but this... This hurt far, far worse.

Naru just sat there, slumped against the wall, the will to fight gone. She couldn't muster the will or the strength to stand up. Not even to defend herself, which suddenly became necessary. She had already taken care of what security was here, the Sentinels weren't moving, and Sailor Moon had no will to fight either. But somehow, some of the other Sailor Senshi had found them. Mercury, Venus, Artemis and Tuxedo Kamen sprinted across the chamber toward Sailor Moon. Beast and Lockheed sped toward them soon afterward, as the Senshi closed ranks around Sailor Moon.

"Sailor Moon, are you OK!?" Tuxedo Kamen cried as he knelt beside her. "The Sentinels. Naru's plan... What happened here!? What has she done!?" He glared over at Naru, incensed.

Sailor Moon sobbed, collapsing into Tuxedo Kamen's arms. "I-I-I-It's already over, Tuxedo Kamen. These Sentinels are going nowhere. As for Naru... Let's hope, finally, that something's sobered her up. For good."

She was right, up to a point. All her dreams and aspirations – she and Umino carving out a place together in a world that rejected them, with an army of Sentinels at their backs – were dashed forever. Umino just couldn't bring himself to do it. And now, without Umino at her side, Naru had nothing.

"Are you sure, Sailor Moon?" Mercury asked dubiously. She eyed Naru with suspicion and naked contempt. Mercury looked more enraged with her than when she thought she was Erina Kizachi. And just like then, more than willing to douse her with icy water, to force her to repent. Naru found herself not caring. Her insides were already numb.

"Just... keep an eye on her," said Sailor Moon weakly. "H-H-How'd you figure out where we went?"

"With that Sentinel head torn open back at the Death Busters base, it wasn't too hard to guess," said Artemis. "Once Mercury got their defenses down, Cable used his bodyslide to get us over here. He'll be back with the others, now that he can locate them telepathically."

That meant Cable could be here any second. He couldn't affect her mind, but she already learned the hard way his telekinesis was another story.

Sailor Moon let out a weak laugh. "Then it looks like we'll be doing something about these Sentinels tonight after all. A-A-And Erina Kizachi is still somewhere in this base. Might as well make it a double play..."

"Someone mention me?" came a cold voice, making Sailor Moon and her fellow Senshi turn their heads. "Speak the name of a demon, and she shall appear."

"Which simplifies matters considerably," said Beast amicably, right before he roared and lunged to tackle Kizachi, flanked by Lockheed. They wound up going right through Kizachi, as if she had Shadowcat's powers. Her whole body then seemed to flicker.

"I suppose it would, if I was actually here," said Kizachi airily. "Disappointing, really, that the brilliant Henry McCoy would leap into action without thinking first. Though it's nowhere near as disappointing as Gerio Umino chickening out at the last second. I really thought he would go through with it. Oh well, guess you can't plan for everything..."

This Kizachi was nothing but some holographic projection!? That meant Naru couldn't even look forward to getting her revenge! Between that, losing Umino, and the rest of the Sailor Senshi and X-Men about to swarm the place, there was no reason to stay. Finally finding the will to do something, Naru focused, accumulating whatever dark power she still could.

Most of them were distracted by Kizachi's projection, but Artemis turned his head. "Everyone, Naru's trying to teleport away!" he cried out.

"Oh no you don't, Naru! Crescent Beam!" Venus bellowed. But she was too slow. Naru saw her laser blast go right through where her chest once was, the dematerializing effect going up her body, seemingly consumed in black flame.

Over the course of the last week, Naru made a point of 'tagging' several places around the city with her gunk, not just Kizachi's hidden base. Now, there were dozens of spots in Tokyo she could teleport to in the blink of an eye.

She chose to reappear near the very top of Tokyo Tower. It was a relatively cloudless night, with the moon hanging overhead. The sort of night that could help clear one's head while up there. There would be no hope of such clarity tonight. Naru buried her face in her arms, finally giving in to uncontrollable sobbing. After outing herself as a mutant and losing her mother, Naru thought she understood what it meant to lose it all.

But now, Naru knew what it was truly like to lose everything.

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It was a relief to be getting out of those sewer tunnels, but to Storm, it would be like trading one coffin for another. One which housed Sentinels, no less. As the light from Cable's bodyslide faded, and Storm's skin stopped prickling, she looked around. Cable had transported her entire team into the middle of some stairwell. Uranus, Neptune and Wolverine let go of him, and Luna hopped down from his arms. "Brrrr, if the Sailor Teleport is anything like that, I'm glad I'll never need to use it," grumbled Luna.

"The more people bodysliding with me, the rougher the trip can get," said Cable. His expression grew even sterner. Storm could tell he was using his telepathy to read the stray thoughts of those already here. "Things have changed slightly since I came back for your team, Storm. Our people are pissed, and for good reason, but there seems to be no immediate danger. Uranus, you and Neptune should get to the other Senshi on the ground level. But up in the control room... Storm, I think you'd be best to deal with the mess there."

Storm wasn't certain what Cable meant by that, but she trusted his judgment. Storm nodded as Uranus and Neptune fled down the stairs to reach Sailor Moon. When she turned to go up the stairwell, she heard Wolverine follow as Cable bodyslid back for Shadowcat's team. Cable didn't make it sound like danger awaited, yet it wasn't surprising Wolverine wished to have her back, regardless.

When the doors to the base's control room slid open, Storm saw what Cable meant. The bodies of the base's unconscious staff littered the floor. The only person there awake and alert was Umino, slumped down against the main terminal. He looked shellshocked. He might as well have been out cold like the rest.

Wolverine stepped into the room, sniffing the air. Satisfied there were no surprises, he sheathed his claws. Umino probably hadn't even noticed they were out. Storm wondered if he even knew they had stepped inside.

"Hey boyo, what happened in here?" Wolverine asked. "Did Naru lay them all out? Where is she now?"

For a moment, Umino said nothing. When he spoke, he didn't even turn his head. "T-T-Teleported out, probably. I... drove her away."

"Drove her away?" Storm repeated dubiously. "What do you mean, Umino?"

"N-N-Naru wanted me to take control of the Sentinels," stammered Umino.

"So Cable's supposition was on the money," said Wolverine. "So, how come I can see 'em all still lined up in a row? It didn't work?"

"Actually, Logan, it did," said Umino uneasily. "I figured out Kizachi's programming language, got them under my command. And the first thing I did? Make one fire a missile near Naru."

Storm blinked in surprise. "Umino, why would you..."

"She wanted to use them, Storm! Turn them against humans, raze government buildings to the ground to send a message!" cried Umino. Storm could see tears dribbling down from behind his glasses.

"Somethin' tells me Kizachi might've wanted the kid to pull it off," Wolverine whispered to Storm. "She manipulated Naru into bustin' up yakuza left and right as retribution for how her nephew was mistreated. Suppose, given how yakuza clans got their claws in a lot o' elected officials, she wanted to trick Naru into doin' more dirty work, and..."

Storm held up a hand to silence Wolverine. "All very plausible, Logan. But as Nathan said, for now, we have another concern." She stepped closer to Umino, arms spread. "Umino, you simply did what you felt was right. There is no shame in that."

"Isn't there?" Umino finally looked up at Storm, tears still flowing. "Did I ever tell you about that night I learned Naru's a mutant? I chased after her, telling here I didn't care. But she kept running, and her anguish must've triggered her powers further. I realized that not all the oil covering her was from the fire truck. The way a tendril smashed a huge tree apart clued me in, plus one of those black lightning bolts toppled another. She fell to her knees and cried some more, giving me a chance to kneel beside her. I promised her right then, I wouldn't be like other humans. That I would never turn my back on her. And what did I just do?"

"Buddy, insensitive as this may sound right now... It wasn't you, it was her," said Wolverine. "You accepted she had mutant powers and went with the flow. You helped train her up, but didn't expect her to use those powers for personal gain. It was a different story with what she wanted with your smarts, Umino."

It was a logical assessment, but there were times even geniuses like Umino found that logic alone wasn't enough. He buried his head in his arms, sobbing.

Storm finally stepped right in front of Umino. "We're not judging you for this, Umino. If there was ever an instance where turning a Sentinel on a mutant was called for, it was this." Umino looked back up to her, and something told Storm he was finally willing to listen. "It takes courage to stand up to a close friend, even when you know what she's doing is wrong. And by doing this, in the long run, you may have saved the soul of the girl you love."

Umino finally stood up, looking confused. "H-H-How would... She must hate me now! I-I-I-I turned on her just like every other human!"

"That's one way to look at it," said Storm. "But perhaps this will serve as a bucket of ice water in her face. Showing Naru that giving in to her bitterness and rage comes at a price. If she's still the girl you love, and if she wishes to have you at her side again, Naru will realize this."

Umino said nothing, the tears still flowing. Then, he leaned forward, and Storm held him close, letting him sob in her arms. Sometimes, as leader of the X-Men and teacher to new recruits, little things such as this was all she could do. The goddess grant that, until Naru came to her senses, it would be enough.

She could feel Wolverine's eyes on them. It wasn't envy Storm sensed from him, of course. Rather, she could tell Wolverine was thinking of how they had to make Erina Kizachi pay. As Storm mulled it over, she found her own ire rising. Kizachi had been playing this game of chess with Usagi, her friends and all of Japan long enough. Sailor Moon put her trust in the X-Men. The time was coming for them to help the Senshi end this for good.

 _"Storm, Wolverine, you might want to get down here,"_ came Cable's telepathic voice. _"If you want answers from Erina Kizachi herself, this might be the best chance."_

"I'd say it's like Nathan read our minds," said Wolverine. "But, well, you know..."

"Let's see what he's talking about," said Storm, raising a hand. A bolt of lightning smashed through the control room's huge window. Still holding onto Umino, she summoned a wind that swept the two of them out, then gently lowered them to the base's ground level. Wolverine simply jumped out and used his claws to slow his descent.

Cable had already returned with Mars, Jupiter and Shadowcat, who had gathered with the others. Storm soon saw what they were all glaring at. A short woman in a lab coat. Storm fought the urge to summon a blizzard around where she stood. "Don't get your hopes up, Storm. It's not that I can't read Kizachi's mind, it's that there's nothing really there," said Cable as Storm touched down with Umino. "Just a hologram, Hank said."

Wolverine sniffed again. "Do tell."

The projection slowly turned to gaze upon the new arrivals. "Ah, once again I get to see the esteemed leader of the X-Men. Always a pleasure," said Kizachi amicably, ignoring all the angry stares. "You've made some interesting companions in your time, Ororo Munroe, many of high status. The lord of Latveria, the king of Wakanda, and now the once and future queen of the Moon Kingdom."

"What is it you're after, Kizachi!?" Storm demanded. "You've used children as your pawns, set your country ablaze with paranoia and hatred, caused so much pain and misery... What is your endgame, woman!? Is this all just part of sick need for revenge against Sailor Moon!? Do you really place all the blame for what happened to that condo at Sailor Moon's feet!?"

Kizachi tilted her head to the side slightly, as if feigning curiosity and surprise. "So, you've learned the truth, the other connection I have to the Sailor Senshi's antics besides Nephrite. But to answer your question, Storm... No. Collateral damage comes with the territory when superheroes are called forth to do battle. It's not entirely the girl's fault the Makai Tree wrecked the condo from the inside out."

"Then why all this, Kizachi!?" demanded Neptune. "If you admit that Sailor Moon isn't responsible for the death of your daughter, why this need for revenge!?"

Kizachi cast a piercing sideways glance at Neptune. "There's one last thing about Erika's passing that still eludes all of you, then. You'll learn what it is, when the time is right. For now, though, why not enjoy your victory? My hidden base, these Sentinels... Consider them the spoils of war. They are yours to do with as you please."

" _WHAT_!?" Sailor Moon cried. Tuxedo Kamen had been holding her in his arms all this time. Her cheeks still sparkled from her tears. "I was there for that seminar too, Kizachi! You've been obsessed with perfecting your company's take on artificial intelligence for a long time! Now you're just surrendering years' worth of work!? _WHY_!?"

Kizachi turned to face Sailor Moon. Despite whatever she said before, there was no mistaking the flash of hatred in Kizachi's grimace. Her bitterness still radiated from that projection even as she feigned an amused grin. Then, Kizachi turned and walked away, the projection flickering away moments later.

Silence lingered among the Sailor Senshi and the X-Men for a moment. "Well, that certainly cleared up a lot," Mars eventually grumbled.

"Confirmin' some stuff, while raisin' new questions at the same time," said Wolverine. "She's got a talent for keepin' people guessing and confused."

"Whatever," growled Jupiter. "Like Kizachi said, we've finally found her Sentinels. If we couldn't get through to Naru tonight, we might as well do something about them while we're here."

"Unless she wishes for us to destroy them," Beast pointed out. "It is quite possible that Umino reprogramming the Sentinels to act on Osaka's behalf may have been Kizachi's most desired outcome. Yet she is crafty enough to engineer things so that any outcome proves favorable to her. Letting us destroy them may aid her in another endeavor."

"Nevertheless, we can't just leave them here!" cried Luna.

"There may not be much danger in that," said Umino suddenly. "After I... sent that missile near Naru, I essentially bricked every single one of them. I-I-I wasn't going to let them hunt any more mutants, either."

"Still, Luna is quite right. There is too much risk involved with leaving these Sentinels intact, even if their destruction is something Kizachi can turn to her advantage later," said Storm. "I say we take advantage of this opportunity and decimate them. Sailor Senshi, if you agree, feel free to join in."

With that, Storm summoned up a wind, raising her close to the ceiling. She stared ahead at the row of Sentinels. Umino insisted they were inoperative now. Yet those lifeless, sallow eyes were still a haunting thing to behold. Storm knew all too well what these monstrosities could do if reactivated. Electricity began to arc around her. Looking down, she saw Sailor Moon looking up to her, and she nodded.

"You heard the ladies, people," said Cable. "Anyway, many of the workers here are still treated with whatever helps shield them from telepathy. Logan, I could use your nose to help round them up before this place comes crashing down." He tossed his rifle to Beast, then took off his ammunition belt for the grenade launcher. "Here, do me a favor and blow off a Sentinel head or two in my stead, Hank."

"Umino and I will also help sweep for workers still stuck in here," said Tuxedo Kamen. He looked down at Sailor Moon, still in his arms. "Sailor Moon... Will you be OK?"

Sailor Moon stared at the floor for a moment. "Y-Y-Y-Yeah. Like Storm said, these Sentinels have to go. W-W-W-We might as well do what we should've been doing tonight."

The resignation in Sailor Moon's voice tore at Storm. Before, there was some hope of getting through to her friend. Now it was dashed because Kizachi wouldn't stop using Naru as her pawn. That indignation fueled Storm's rage, and thus her power.

With a cry of fury, Storm hurled lightning at the Sentinels directly ahead. Kizachi had done her work well. At first, it looked like her lightning had no effect. Unsurprising, after hearing Sailor Jupiter had difficulty as well. After a few moments of pouring on the voltage, Storm noticed their armor turning red-hot, and then white-hot.

Mercury saw that as her cue. "Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" she cried. Blasts of freezing water slammed into vulnerable joint areas. Unlike the Sentinel she helped disable, however, these did not fall apart from being subjected to thermal shock. Kizachi had improved their design in a relatively short time.

Luckily, the other Senshi were here to pick up the slack. As Storm continued to pound the Sentinels with lightning, Neptune screamed, "Submarine Reflection!" Her pummeling blast swept across their torsos, finally making chinks in their armor. Neptune then focused her attack to go right up into one of their jet turbines. Storm could hear its entire chassis groan in protest from the strain.

Sailor Moon joined in, her eyes still full of tears. But now, rage twisted her face a little as she gazed up at the Sentinels. Ginzuishou-powered repulsor blasts pelted them. One managed to punch through under a Sentinel's head. Storm saw its sallow eyes blow out, smoking under that faceplate.

More and more of the Senshi joined in. One hit from World Shaking knocked one Sentinel free of its restraints. It toppled forward, taking out part of the crosswalk still standing. Jupiter's lightning as last joined Storm's. The jaws of her Supreme Thunder Dragon wrested another Sentinel from its restraints along the wall.

Mars and Venus walked along part of the crosswalk still intact. The blazing spray from Fire Soul swept over the Sentinels she passed by, followed up by barrages from Cresent Beam Shower. Heedless of all that, Shadowcat ran through the Sentinels' heads, shorting out whatever circuitry was still active. Beast used his bare feet to walk upside-down, underneath the crosswalk, Cable's rifle at the ready. "To put it in the vernacular... 'Thar she blows!'" he cried. He fired a grenade into the Sentinel's open jet turbine. It seemed to drill deeper into its insides, until it detonated and blew its head off. Chibi-Moon followed along ground level. She turned her Luna-P into a grenade launcher of her own, and did the same.

Their combined might was a sweet symphony of utter destruction. One by one, the Sentinels were decimated and toppled. After years of bearing witness to the horror and misery brought about by these monsters, Storm found it gratifying. For once, the X-Men could destroy them before they could do any more harm. With a little help from their new friends, of course.

The shrill of the base's warning sirens seemed to blare over the din of their onslaught. Even with the raging fires and glow from her lightning, the flashing lights drilled into Storm's eyes. But she didn't relent, calling upon more and more lightning. At last, the final Sentinel toppled in a flurry of lightning, fire, shots from Cable's rifle, and a watery blast from Neptune's mirror. It broke apart as it crumpled.

Just as the tremors from the Sentinel's fall faded, another went through the base. The Senshi and X-Men looked up from their handiwork. They had unleashed so much power to smash these Sentinels, the base was fixing to collapse in on itself.

"Uh, I trust someone had an escape plan?" Artemis asked delicately as the base rumbled again.

"Yeah. I bodyslide my people out, now that the base's defenses are toast. The Inner Senshi use their teleporting trick to get yours out," said Cable, strolling up to them with Wolverine, Umino and Tuxedo Kamen. As usual, he seemed unfazed by things falling apart around him. "All the civilians were evacuated. So let's go, and let what's left of the Sentinels be buried alive."

"So much for never needing the Sailor Teleport," grumbled Luna.

Chibi-Moon looked up as a support beam came loose, crashing down not too far from them. "Yeah, let's do that," she muttered anxiously.

Storm touched down beside Cable, placing a hand on his shoulder. The rest of the X-Men and Lockheed held onto him. Umino, after a nervous glance about, followed suit. Meanwhile, the Inner Senshi formed a ring around Uranus, Chibi-Moon, Tuxedo Kamen, Neptune and the two cats.

" _OW_! Sailor Moon, don't squeeze so hard with the Iron Man hand!" Mars snarled.

"Sorry," Sailor Moon muttered flatly. No doubt she was more focused on building power for their teleport. But Storm could tell the fiasco with Naru still weighed on her. It only fueled Storm's determination to see Kizachi exposed and brought to justice. Her Sentinels were a memory. Now it was time to close in on Kizachi herself.

"Ready when you are, Sailor Senshi," said Cable.

"Then let's blow before this place does!" cried Venus.

"SAILOR TELEPORT!" the five Inner Senshi cried in unison, just as Umino and the X-Men faded away thanks to Cable's bodyslide.

Before she completely dematerialized, Storm saw more of the ceiling crumble and flames swirl around with renewed intensity. Kizachi's base was about to collapse upon itself, and it would take her months to salvage whatever was left of her Sentinels. But there was a possibility that Kizachi could make more. And Storm remembered Beast's warning that this could still possibly work in Kizachi's favor.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

To most gathered in the Ryuuzaki family's mansion, Charles Xavier would appear to be little more than an old man confined to some plastic wheelchair. He wondered how those gathered here would react to the truth. After all, they were here answering Sailor Moon's call, not the X-Men's. Xavier wasn't quite sure how he felt about that. He was grateful for how Sailor Moon used her notoriety to reach so many. Thanks to that, many mutants were safe here, and at the new Daidouji corporate headquarters under construction.

Still, it brought many things to light for Xavier. His ultimate goal was to bring about a world where mutants would be accepted. Yet all too often, the X-Men were too bust fighting for their lives than for mutants' rights. And yet the Sailor Senshi, fresh off their months-long conflict with the Dead Moon Circus and now dealing with a woman building Sentinels primarily designed to combat them, unanimously decided to take up that cause. In a matter of days, Sailor Moon changed everything.

Indignation and jealousy would be unbecoming of Xavier, but it did make him think. How did Sailor Moon succeed in such a short time, while his life's work seemed so fruitless? He had to admit, upon learning of a possible future where the girl became queen and oversaw the recovery from a global catastrophe... Xavier had a little trouble believing it at first, even though Usagi opened her mind to him. But now, seeing what she could _DO_... Xavier hadn't lied to Luna about how she gave him hope, even if Usagi still insisted it was the other way around.

 _Perhaps that's what makes this girl so special,_ Xavier told himself as he navigated the mansion's halls. _She has this way of instilling hope, of bringing out the best in people, like no other._

However, at the moment, there seemed to be much discord within the mansion. Xavier caught bits of a heated conversation between some of the 'recruits' Sailor Moon pulled in. He looked toward an open door at his right. A tall, lanky boy and his shorter, spiky-haired companion were arguing with the Ryuuzaki heiress about something.

"So where are these X-Men, anyway? Weren't they seen with the Sailor Senshi before?" demanded the shorter one. "Fighting them, teaming up with them... Can't they make up their minds?"

"Yeah, wasn't mutant rights their deal to begin with?" added the lanky one. "Why are they suddenly afraid to poke their heads out? Don't they have a stake in this? And what about other American super-people, like the Fantastic Four?"

The blue-haired girl, at first, could only facepalm and groan. "First off... Wait, the Fantastic Four aren't mutants you _IDIOT_!"

 _If only they knew,_ Xavier mused as his wheeled himself away. The X-Men were lying low at Sailor Moon's insistence, but were now helping her get through to Naru Osaka. Knowing that Sailor Moon could potentially do more to achieve his dream was more of a puzzle than a strike against his life's work. Rather, it was his own failure to live up to Usagi's expectations that stabbed at him now. The X-Men had steered so many off the wrong path before. Yet this time, the X-Men's best efforts ended in bitter failure.

He continued his trek through the mansion. A tall young man with silvery-grey hair and glasses passed him. Xavier couldn't sense any thought patterns from him, however. Curious, he probed a little further, and was instantly rebuffed. There was a perplexing duality to his psyche, not unlike what often made it difficult to probe Rogue's mind. _Come to think of it, could that be why..._

As he pondered that puzzle, Xavier suddenly stopped as a toddler waddled by. One with poofy, turquoise hair stuffed under a baseball cap. His ambient thought patterns told Xavier he definitely wasn't human. Once again curious, he peered a bit further, and realized who the child was. In his part of Tokyo, the boy was a common sight. But while out in public around here, as a precaution, Jariten concealed the horn that marked him as an alien demon.

Another stab at Xavier's heart. The X-Men became entangled in many conflicts in Japan before, but there was always a sense the country was somewhat different from America. At least when it came to mutant relations. But fear of what was different still lurked in the shadows of people's hearts, no matter the country. For whatever reason, Erina Kizachi sought to tear away that veneer, letting it bubble to the surface. Was it just to strike at Usagi's heart? To make her watch as the country she fought so long to defend ripped itself apart? Or was there more to it?

Answers still eluded him as Xavier wheeled himself into the main dining hall. That girl's mother, the lady of this estate, was handing out trays along with her servants, while other servants wheeled carts to go down to the lower levels. From what Xavier could tell, the Ryuuzakis needed little convincing from their daughter to throw their support and wealth behind Sailor Moon's movement.

Though at the moment, she wasn't what caught Xavier's eye. At the smallest table in the hall sat Usagi's mother. She wasn't alone, as Usagi's former teacher stood by her, talking. Ikuko was obviously only half-listening, though.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised to see you here, Mrs. Tsukino. Not if your little girl was at Sailor Moon's initial meeting," said Haruna. "She's passed her entrance exams, she doing something so selfless... There's more to your daughter than we gave her credit for."

There was no mistaking Ikuko's grimace. "Yes, yes there is," was all Ikuko could get out.

Xavier didn't need his telepathy to see Ikuko's confusion and grief were eating her alive. He and the X-Men let Naru slip away, and worse, could do little to stymie Kizachi's machinations. But here, at least, possibly he could do something for Usagi. Ikuko felt powerless as her world turned upside-down. But Xavier believed no one was ever truly powerless. It was time to help Usagi by helping Ikuko to realize this.

He wheeled himself up to the two women. "Ms. Sakurada, if you will excuse me, but there is something I wish to discuss with Mrs. Tsukino in private."

Haruna seemed to freeze for a moment, gazing at him. "C-C-Charles Xavier!? Oh, that's right, Dr. McCoy said he wished to enroll Ms. Osaka at his school! Did he mean your school?"

Xavier nodded. "And let's just say I have yet to give up on reaching the girl someday."

"Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised another leading authority on genetics is in the middle of this mess," said Haruna. "But if I may ask, why must you speak with Mrs. Tsukino when her daughter wasn't the one considered for enrollment?"

"There are... other things that make Usagi Tsukino special, Ms. Sakurada," said Xavier. "That is... all I'm at liberty to discuss at the moment."

"I see. Well, I'll leave you two alone then." Haruna walked past his wheelchair, but then bent down and whispered, "By the way, any job openings at your school? I wouldn't mind teaching at the same school as that blue-furred hunk..." She even giggled to herself with glee.

 _She's... certainly a steadfast ally for mutants, in many ways,_ Xavier mused. "Another time, please," he said quickly, wheeling himself around the table to reach Ikuko. "Let's go somewhere a bit more private," he whispered to her. At first, Xavier feared Ikuko might need a 'nudge' to rouse her from her seat. Thankfully, after a moment, Ikuko rose and shuffled after Xavier as he left the dining hall.

Xavier led Ikuko to one of the balconies at the back of the mansion. Once there, Ikuko spat out, "What's happened, Xavier? Did you get a telepathic message? Did Usagi and your X-Men finally report in?"

"Not yet, I'm afraid," said Xavier. "But when your daughter does return, she will need you, more than you could ever know."

"I thought you said you didn't dig too deep with your powers," Ikuko reminded him dryly.

"For that, I don't need them," said Xavier. "Nor do I need them to see how much Usagi's revelation is still troubling you."

Ikuko stared up into the starry sky, where the moon hung low. "Learning that my daughter was reincarnated after a kingdom up there fell to ruin, that she's been risking her neck every other week while I was completely oblivious... Tell me, Professor Xavier, do you ever worry about your students when they're out on a mission? How did you deal with the fear?"

"Not easily. And I only send them on missions because I know they believe in our cause as strongly as I do," said Xavier. "And your daughter believes in her team's cause of love and justice very much."

"How convenient, then, that the goals of your two teams overlap now," said Ikuko frostily, still staring at the moon.

"You were there when we both learned of Usagi's plan. I was just as surprised as you were," Xavier reminded her. "I told Usagi that I had no easy answers for what's ailing your country, so she took it upon herself and did something drastic. It certainly wasn't a course of action I would have recommended, but what's done is done."

For a moment, Ikuko said nothing, still gazing at the moon. "Maybe it is foolish to be worried, when she's got those other Senshi watching over her. Plus, you ordered your X-Men to back them up. Following orders... It's not like I can give them anymore. I flat-out told Usagi not to go after Naru, and she literally just brushed me aside. Whose bright idea was it to give my daughter part of an Iron Man suit anyway?"

Xavier chuckled. "Thank Hank and his Avengers connections. But yes, I understand how frustrating it is. Children grow up, and as much as we would like to hold on, there comes a time when things will never be the same."

Ikuko fell silent, still not meeting his gaze. Here was a reminder of why it was often wise to not reveal to his students' parents that their children were mutants. Or at least, not right away if it could be helped. There was still much resentment in this woman, and some of it was justified. Usagi was inspired to take action because she looked up to him and the X-Men.

As Xavier fumbled for his next words, he heard Nathan's telepathic cry. _"Professor! Good news and bad news. Naru won't be coming around tonight, but at least we totaled all of Kizachi's Sentinels in the meantime..."_

 _"The Sentinels!?"_ Xavier shouted back incredulously. He spun around in his wheelchair, brow furrowing. _"I thought we all agreed that the assault on Kizachi's hidden base was days away! What happened!?"_

 _"Magneto happened, Professor."_ Xavier could easily read Nathan's indignation and frustration. _"The Brotherhood and Acolytes ambushed all three strike units, just to keep us occupied while separating Sailor Moon from her team. Get her to go on alone, and then Magneto flings Sailor Moon at Naru as she's teleporting away to try and take control of the Sentinels. It was Magneto and Kizachi's plan all along. Engineer another fight between those two, to break Sailor Moon down for good. If Umino hadn't backed out of Naru's plan to seize the Sentinels, it might have happened. As it is, Sailor Moon's already enough of a wreck. ..."_

" _NOW_ you've got a telepathic alert, haven't you?" demanded Ikuko suddenly. Xavier whirled back around to see her glaring down at him. "What's happened to my daughter?"

Xavier sighed. "Magneto's forces were lying in wait for them all, and apparently your daughter confronted my old friend herself."

Ikuko's eyes widened in horror. "She... and he... Damnit Xavier, _WHAT'S HAPPENED TO MY DAUGHTER!?_ "

Her shout drew the attention of many just beyond the balcony door. Xavier worked fast, modifying the memories of all those who heard Ikuko. Finally, he looked back up to her. "It wasn't Magneto who she wound up fighting, Mrs. Tsukino. He was just there to throw Usagi at Naru as she teleported away. The Sentinel that fought Naru... Kizachi obviously had it lose intentionally, so Naru could make Umino hack its data core and learn the location of the rest. And then force Usagi to fight Naru to stop her from seizing control of them."

 _"Ultimately, it wasn't Sailor Moon that torpedoed Naru's plans, but her boyfriend,"_ Nathan reminded him. _"Maybe that'll finally get the girl to wise up..."_

 _"Nathan, you can finish briefing me later,"_ Xavier replied tersely. _"In the meantime, please let me mollify Ikuko Tsukino. If that's even possible."_ Xavier caught a flash of Nathan's irritation, but then it faded.

"So they fought again!?" Ikuko demanded, sounding more horrified than ever. "Wh-What did... How is my daughter!? How badly is she hurt!?"

"Fron what I could gather from Cable, your daughter will recover," Xavier said quickly. It was then, at last, that he realized the best way to reach Ikuko, to help her through her doubts. "However, it seems this encounter has left Usagi drained, both physically and emotionally. It will take time for her to recover from this, perhaps even days. She's been through many tough battles, but none quite like this. She will need you this time, Mrs. Tsukino. She will need the comfort and support of her mother."

Once again, Ikuko looked away, toward the moon. "I-I-I-I'm not really her mother," she stammered. "The one who actually gave birth to her died up there, eons ago."

"You know that's not true, and it's certainly not what Usagi believes," Xavier reminded her sternly. "Again, she could have let Nathan and I wipe your memory, but decided that the time for keeping secrets was over. She's let you in in a way none of the other Senshi have dared with those closest to them. Knowing that, will you really keep her at arm's length?"

Ikuko slowly turned back to Xavier, tears in her eyes. "You're the one who knows how to deal with kids with superpowers, not me," said Ikuko. "What do I do?"

"For now, just be a mother who is there for her daughter," said Xavier. "That's all you've ever had to be, Ikuko Tsukino. And that's what your daughter now needs more than ever."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ami scrolled through what little data Umino recovered from that base's databanks, before the Sailor Senshi and X-Men brought it all down on those Sentinels' heads. He had the foresight to download everything he could from Kizachi's databanks as he worked to get those Sentinels under his control. Unfortunately, Erina Kizachi had been one step ahead of him. There was some sort of program that made the data delete itself if it was pilfered in such a manner. By the time Ami noticed, most of it was irretrievable. Worse, what preserved data Ami had sifted through didn't seem to be of much use.

 _Hopefully, that won't prove too worrisome. We destroyed all of those Sentinels, didn't we?_ Ami looked up from Umino's computer, out the window of her apartment. Tokyo was still shrouded in night. It hadn't been too long since they totaled those Sentinels, so Ami returned home. Her mother was expecting her to be here in the morning, and given how unpredictable Kizachi was... Besides, seeing the problems Usagi was having with her mother made Ami even more determined to guard her own secret.

So Ami sat at the dining table, squinting at Umino's computer, promising herself she'd get a little sleep soon. After a night like this, she could sure use it. Even though they wound up destroying the Sentinels, there was no getting around how their actual mission was a total bust. Naru slipped away, but not before going all-out on the one who just wanted her to listen to reason.

Ami still had no idea just what happened during their fight. Usagi certainly wasn't talking. Whatever Naru put her through shook her to the core, leaving her a physical and emotional wreck. It would take a little time before Usagi felt ready to open up about it.

 _Unfortunately, Usagi may not have time,_ Ami realized. _Sailor Moon is the face of the movement pushing back against this tide of hate and paranoia. She's the reason these people's hearts were touched, and she can't stop now._

It still sickened Ami to no end. So much hate everywhere. She had gotten a good look at it hours ago. The unadulterated, murderous rage she saw in Unuscione when the Acolyte got up close and personal... Not even Viluy had come off as that cold and heartless. Where did that sort of hate come from? What kept it going?

 _Then again, I can't really talk. I was ready to take Naru apart when we got to Kizachi's base,_ Ami reminded herself. In fact, it still took some effort to keep her own anger in check. Not only for putting Usagi for such hell, but for that ambush back in the gym locker room.

Granted, she developed that chemical weapon the Sailor Senshi used on her, but they did everything they could to make up for that. No, on top of that, it was like they were trying to keep Japan itself together. Not only a thankless task, but one that made the Sailor Senshi wanted criminals, and for what? Could they really keep Erina Kizachi and Magneto from reaching their goal, and leaving Japan a warzone?

Ami found herself pondering all this more than the data right in front of her face. Normally, she could study all night, but now the computer screen was fading in and out. These last few days had sapped her ability to focus, not just time to sleep.

The next thing Ami knew, the smell of chocolate chip pancakes was wafting up her nostrils. Her eyes fluttered back open, only to wince as sunlight pierced through her corneas. It was daytime already?

"Only a couple weeks or so since the last school year ended, yet you're cramming again already," came the voice of her mother. "You impress me, Ami. I figured it would only take one. Your ability to resist temptation is truly inspiring."

Ami slowly sat up, seeing that Saeko was in the kitchen, preparing breakfast. She glanced at the computer screen in horror. Upon seeing that the computer had blanked out during the night, Ami heaved a sigh of relief. If she had to explain studying data on Sentinels...

"I'm afraid I can't stay to eat with you, Ami," Saeko went on. "It took a lot of fandangling to be able to come home with what time I had. And that was cut short by traffic being a nightmare. Another impromptu march by Sailor Moon's supporters, and another ugly clash with those refusing to see past their hate and fear... Well, if I wasn't so busy, I'd probably slather my face with motor oil and go join them. What happened with Mayumi Osaka, then her daughter being pushed over the edge..."

"I-I-I-It's OK, Mama," Ami said quickly. The less her mother dwelled on Sailor Moon and Eclipse, the better. Ami had to change the subject, fast. "At least I got to see you for a little bit."

"And at least I can ensure you get one good meal in you," replied Saeko. "Whenever I've seen you these last few days... I don't know, it's like you're working yourself harder than ever before."

Ami's brain was still fuzzy, even after a few hours of much-needed sleep. "Y-Y-Y-You're worrying over nothing, Mama. T-T-There's nothing..."

"If you don't want to clue me in, that's fine," said Saeko quickly, bringing over a plate of pancakes. "We've all got secrets, things we're afraid to share with even those closest to us. Still, that doesn't change how I want to do what I can..." Ami watched her mother dubiously as she reached for her bag. "Even if that means calling in a lot of favors and breaking a slew of medical ethics laws. Things that could get me barred from practicing medicine ever again. But when a mother must stick her neck out for her daughter..."

With that, Saeko reached in and took out a single file. She plopped it down right in front of Ami. Ami stared at it blankly for a moment, then looked back up to Saeko quizzically. Saeko merely smiled, then walked back to the stove. With her bag slung under her shoulder, she took a handful of pancakes in one hand and a bottle of orange juice in the other. Looking back, she said, "Whatever else is going on, I love you, Ami. And I'm so proud of you. Never forget that."

Ami watched Saeko walk out the door, stuffing a pancake in her mouth. It was a while before Ami looked back down to the file, and even longer before she worked up the nerve to pick it up. If this could mean her mother losing her medical license...

But when Ami finally opened it up, so much became clear. "Well, this could explain a lot..."

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Even though Erina Kizachi took care to ensure she could gain something even if Naru Osaka failed to take her Sentinels, it still vexed her to no end. She looked upon the House of Councillors while standing at the podium, waiting to address them once the screen behind her stopped showing footage of the X-Men and Sailor Senshi destroying her Sentinels.

 _They pretend to be horrified that I had so many ready for deployment,_ Erina thought to herself. _Whether they admit it to themselves or not, they look to my Sentinels as a last resort that must be ready. Such cowardly fools._ Erina remembered how much she looked forward to seeing her creations tear this building asunder. Despite the falling out with her family at a young age, Erina never considered herself a bitter and cynical person. At least, not until that day she cradled her daughter's lifeless body in her arms, then watched the Sailor Senshi walk away pleased with themselves.

What better way to stab at Sailor Moon's heart yet again than to watch as her old friend struck the match, igniting a war within Japan 'eclipsing' all others in the island nation's history? And wipe clean this den of corruption in the bargain? As Erina expected, the seed was planted when her Sentinel threw its fight with Naru, finding fertile soil within her tortured and poisoned heart.

Unfortunately, Erina miscalculated when it came to her boyfriend. She spent so much time during the last year or so, scrutinizing Naru to best use her against Usagi Tsukino. Yet she took it for granted that Umino would follow her anywhere. Perhaps being spoiled by a clueless husband, who danced to her every tune for over a year, clouded her judgment.

Erina looked out into the rows and rows of seats through her dark glasses, eyes settling on Seto for a moment. Thankfully, he was able to call for this gathering, so his wife could address them all. Erina had hoped to come here under different circumstances. She may have overestimated Gerio Umino's willingness to follow his mutant girlfriend, but he greatly overestimated his own skills. He doubtless believed he had cracked the intricacies of her programming language.

How wrong he would've learned he was. It was difficult, programming those Sentinels in such a way, so that 'vulnerability' didn't look intentional. And once the Sentinels had caused enough destruction here, Erina would have activated her special subroutines, allowing her to resume control and turn them on the girl. Magneto would've had the perfect opportunity to appeal to Naru again, after that. In the meantime, that would've catalyzed fear of Eclipse, and by extension all mutants, all over again, while she came off as a hero. Then Magneto would surely have his war, for the authorization to unleash Sentinels would've been hers after that.

 _But this place, unfortunately, is still standing,_ Erina mused bitterly. _So now I must come address all you fearful cretins. You think you can grill me, now that you know I had far more Sentinels completed than I let on. Prepare yourselves. You're about to learn I have many, many more. And with so many still clamoring for a crackdown on mutants, you'll have no choice but to use them._ Erina flashed a small, wicked smile that the Councillors couldn't see. Through her husband, she had played them all like violins for over a year. Now it was finally time to do it personally.

The footage finally stopped playing. Erina took another moment to get a feel for her audience. She was both pleased and disgusted to see most of the Councillors were just fearful enough.

"At least there can be no more doubting the Sailor Senshi are in league with the foreign mutant outlaws known as the X-Men," said Erina. "And you've seen what can happen when they lend their strength to the Sailor Senshi. While you've deliberated on whether or not to deploy my Sentinels en masse, these two groups, who imperiously take matters into their own hands, sought to take that choice from you. And let's not forget how close Eclipse came to seizing them for herself. Think of the carnage Osaka would've unleashed before I regained control. This whole building, an untold number of you, crushed to dust! And if one human willing to betray his country could've brought this about, consider that Sailor Moon has encouraged hundreds of thousands to take part in her little insurrection!"

Mostly silence followed, punctuated by the faint muttering of Councillors amongst themselves. But no immediate rebuttal to her. This was good. They were all feeling the heat, besieged from all sides by fear of mutants, of normal people content to let them roam free, and even of the Sailor Senshi once hailed as heroes. It was always so easy to manipulate people, once you softened up their resolve with a little terror. And they would grasp the easy solution right in front of them, the proverbial fruit of the poisonous tree.

Eventually, one of the Councillors spoke. Unsurprisingly, it was a woman who represented the Juban district, right where this mess went down. "It seems you wish for us to overlook that you were secretly housing these Sentinels. After the Onslaught incident in the United States, followed by the bad press from Operation Zero Tolerance, which our nation shortsightedly approved of at the time, you can understand our hesitancy," she said stonily. Perhaps some were not as easily cowed as others. "So far, our nation has avoided any such ugliness with Sentinels of our own. You were lucky to get authorization just for that one Sentinel to apprehend Eclipse. And even if I was to overlook how you yourself admit those Sentinels were nearly co-opted, what are you proposing? Were all the Sentinels you had ready for deployment not destroyed?"

Erina didn't hesitate. "You don't get to be the head of a multinational corporation, built up from nothing, by putting all your eggs in one basket," she said slyly. "I have more ready for deployment. Dozens and dozens more, and with the software vulnerability Gerio Umino nearly exploited already fixed. I have the ready means to assuage our people's fears with a countermeasure against mutant encroachment, a means to restore order. As you said, this body as a whole was hesitant to use this means before. Now that you've seen that the Sailor Senshi are working with the X-Men, and mean business, can you hesitate any longer?"

Hushed whispering again, still an encouraging sign. It didn't take as long before someone spoke up again, this time a man. "I represent a district in which someone different has become a citizen, and an alien at that. Forgive me if I remain hesitant to condemn Japanese born different by voting to use these Sentinels, when someone not even native to our planet lives peacefully there."

Erina smiled. "Would it interest you to know there is reliable intel pointing to Lum Invader joining Sailor Moon's little coalition? Including being part of a team that broke mutants out of police custody?" That got a lot of astonished gasps. "But let's not get too hung up on one oni. Not when many, many other beings with superhuman abilities we had no idea existed seem to have swelled the ranks of Sailor Moon's resistance. Between all these new superpowered recruits, and the thousands and thousands of ordinary citizens standing with them, this body cannot risk further delay. I have the means to finally put an end to this chaos. You just need courage to take the reins and use it."

How easy it was, making them think they were acting nobly and courageously, all while playing on their craven fears. Erina looked over the crowd of Councillors again, and knew, at last, she had them all in the palm of her hand. If she couldn't look on with glee as this building was blasted to bits by her Sentinels, then at least she would have the satisfaction of manipulating them all regardless.

Besides, seeing to it that the National Diet Building was destroyed would've simply been a means to an end. All that truly mattered was seeing Usagi Tsukino's heart crushed beyond repair. Seeing her former best friend take this building down would've gone a long way towards that. As it turned out, she would have to wait until her Sentinels were deployed. But she had waited this long. What was one more day?

The vote would be called well after Erina left, but looking out at the crowd, Erina already knew she'd have her authorization. _To think, all those would-be apocalyptic harbingers you fought, Sailor Moon, seeking to spread dark power over this Earth... But I'm about to succeed where they all failed!_ Erina smiled, knowing victory would soon be hers. _That Ginzuishou of yours does a marvelous job of countering the darkness coming from without. Too bad it's useless when it comes to the darkness that lurks in us all. I told you you'd soon see the extent of your failure, Usagi Tsukino. Soon after the House of Councillors holds this vote, the fire will rise!_

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We've all seen it, the piece of toast in a girl's mouth as she runs off, hopelessly late. A friend of mine on DeviantArt, the infamous Karbo, once did a variant with a waffle for his original character Crisis. But now, Ami's mother has surpassed them all! Kneel before the good doctor's mighty chocolate chip pancake!

Oh yeah, and _Deadpool 2_ was fun and all. But somehow, it lost a lot of the freshness and subtle genius of the first. And given the trouble news surrounding _New Mutants_ and _Dark Phoenix_ , I'm sort of glad 20th Century Fox's era is more or less coming to an end. But can Disney take over? Given how **FUCKING ANNOYING** the MCU Spider-Man is, and how _The Force Awakens_ killed any love I had for Star Wars, I'm not so sure.

So long,

Grey-X


	30. Something Sinister This Way Comes

**Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse**

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 30: Something Sinister This Way Comes

6-16-2018

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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Those who thought that deserts were always scorching hot obviously never went through one in the dead of night. Even after descending from so high up, the temperature hardly seemed any warmer to Gambit. Then again, growing up in the muggy swamplands of Louisiana spoiled him. The Cajun thief found himself envying Iceman and Colossus once again. Their transformations let them endure the winds and low temperatures when Rogue flew them across continents. Poor Remy LeBeau had to tough it out.

But tough it out he would. It was upon his insistence that they were high-tailing it back to Japan. The news he heard from the team there had concerned him before. Namely, learning that Sabretooth showed his ugly mug, prompting that call to Haruka and Michiru. Yet it was nothing that made Gambit think they needed backup the Sailor Senshi couldn't provide. But now, Gambit's instincts were screaming that things were about to go south. And all too often, his instincts as a thief were all that let him narrowly escape certain death time and again.

However, the four of them were making a detour. A few hours after leaving the mansion, Emma Frost contacted them via Cerebro. There was an old... friend waiting in a small, sleepy town in northern Mexico who wished to speak with them. And he had been quite insistent.

None of them were too happy about it, but they all agreed to humor him regardless. As the dusty, desert ground swiftly came into view, Gambit saw they were in the right place. It was the outskirts of the town, yet it was crawling with armed soldiers. Law enforcement... Something else Gambit instinctively tried to avoid.

Some of the soldiers looked up, raising their weapons. They wisely held their fire. Gambit doubted they even recognized who they were, given how their black uniforms would mesh with the cloudless night sky. No, they were probably ordered to not fire at anything suspicious coming in from above. How courteous of the one who called them.

The soldiers had goggles, making it impossible to see into their eyes. Still, the distrust and anxiety in their body language told Gambit plenty. At least the others couldn't be hurt by bullets if one of them decided these 'muties' couldn't be trusted. _Always the same. Help save the world twenty times over, but the X-Men always be kept at arm's length,_ Gambit mused as his feet finally touched the ground. His legs still felt horribly numb, along with everything else. _Hope we're not bein' asked t' help corral the Hulk or somethin'. Scrappin' any leftover Sentinels'll be a breeze compared t' that!_

"Thanks for coming on such short notice," came a gruff voice from the shadows. "I trust the flight was a pleasant one, LeBeau?" Gambit turned to the voice, scowling. A figure stepped out of the darkness, but still managed to blend in with it. His black trench coat and dark skin helped with that. Along with the eyepatch over his left eye. The flash from a match lighting a cigar briefly illuminated the hard edges of his face. "Care for one?" Nick Fury asked innocently.

"Naw, _mon ami_. Cigarettes're my poison," said Gambit. He took one out and lit it. After taking a drag, he asked, "So Fury, any special reason you had Emma tell us to make this here detour? We four were headed back to a place with, well, a lot more action goin' on..."

"I'm well aware of all that," said Fury. "That little mess has been on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar as of late, ever since Interpol got in touch with us."

"Let me guess... This happened after a certain Interpol agent, who once worked with a certain someone parading around in a sailor fuku, came to S.H.I.E.L.D. for help," said Iceman dubiously.

"Quite perceptive, Icebox," said Fury. "So yeah, scratch S.H.I.E.L.D.'s back, and we'll scratch yours. But as for action, well, the action here has come and gone. But I'm thinkin' you X-Men are gonna want to see what I'm talkin' about..."

Gambit looked to the others. Colossus looked as stoic as ever, and Rogue just shrugged her shoulders. Sighing, Gambit took another drag and said, "Guess it's decided. Lead on, Fury."

Nick Fury smirked, then turned around and walked back into the darkness permeating the little town. Gambit and the other X-Men fell in behind him, flanked by those soldiers. _Maybe we shoulda insisted the X-Men don't be needin' babysitters,_ Gambit thought. He was about to ask just what it was Fury wanted them to see, but Rogue beat him to it.

"What's so important, anyway?" There was a hint of impatience in Rogue's voice. "Even if it's somethin' mutant related, why does S.H.I.E.L.D. want the X-Men's input all of a sudden?"

"Indeed. If there was activity involving a powerful new mutant in such a tiny town, Cerebro would have alerted Frost of that as well," added Colossus.

Nick Fury sighed. "On the surface, it doesn't look like anything that'd grab the X-Men or S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attention. At first glance, it looks like someone was just hired to bust up some drug runners. But then some folks came to bust up the one doin' the drug busting."

Fury led the X-Men into a two-story building on the edge of town. Soon after stepping inside, they passed some S.H.I.E.L.D. agents standing by a stairwell leading into the basement. Some forensic scientists in lab coats were down there, along with another pair of armed soldiers. Nick Fury thrust his thumbs toward the stairs. "Take five, people. Me an' the muties need a few minutes alone in here." Gambit was no telepath, but he could practically hear the others bristle from the word 'mutie', even though Fury said it in jest.

There was some grumbling from the scientists about the crime scene being contaminated, but none spoke up against Fury. The two soldiers simply nodded and left with them. Gambit paid them no mind and took a look around. Lamplights were set up, showing that this place was indeed part of some drug smuggling ring. Only now, much of the drugs were spilled out on the floor. Bullets had sprayed wildly, their holes peppering the walls. The whole place was a wreck to top it all off, with busted furniture lying everywhere, along with some debris from the ceiling.

"Well, this was some radical redecorating," said Iceman. "Still not seein' any mutant involvement you'd want the X-Men in on."

"Half-right, Drake," Fury admitted. "We suspect one of the ones involved in this little fracas ain't your typical mutant." Fury pulled something out of his pocket. A recovered bullet, possibly dug out from the wall. "A few of these were already pulled from the wall. Only a few rounds among the deluge of other bullets sprayed around. Powerful sucker too, a .50 Action Express. And if I may hazard a guess before ballistics are run, it was used with a Desert Eagle."

Gambit still didn't see what Fury was getting at. But then, Rogue lifted some of the wreckage nearby. Her eyes widened as she spotted something just underneath. She knelt down and picked up what looked like a ruined sword, the blade shattered a little beyond the hilt.

"This sword looks familiar," said Rogue. Then her eyes widened again as something dawned on her. "Hold the phone. A katana, a Desert Eagle..."

Iceman seemed to piece something together, too. "Hey, aren't those the weapons favored by..."

"Deadpool," Colossus spat, finishing Iceman's thought.

"So someone paid Deadpool to break up a drug ring?" Rogue asked dismissively. "And obviously met some stiff resistance. How's this any concern o' ours?"

Gambit looked closely at the broken sword in Rogue's hand, then looked at the walls riddled with bullet holes. He suddenly felt sick, cold dread clawing at his heart. Now he understood why Nick Fury wanted them here.

"It wasn't just anything that broke this sword, _chere_ ," said Gambit. "Looks like it shattered thanks to some sort o' shockwave."

Rogue finally understood. "Oh no. Since Avalanche is in Japan right now, it had to be Arclight! That would also explain why it looks like the house almost came down! And all the bullet holes... That was probably Scalphunter!"

"Some big bootprints also point to that charming fellow Blockbuster. And given how erratic Deadpool's gunshots were, Vertigo may've been in on the fun too," said Fury. "Then again, with Wade Wilson, 'erratic' is pretty much in the job description, ain't it?"

"So the Marauders were waiting to ambush Deadpool?" Colossus asked thoughtfully. "Do you have any idea why, Fury?"

"Yeah. Deadpool isn't exactly a mutant, like you said," added Iceman. "I can't see what Mr. Sinister would want with him."

"Well, don't his healing factor put that of your lovable little clawed friend to shame?" Fury asked coyly. "Or maybe Sinister wants to closely study the way Wilson's mutation was induced. At any rate, since the X-Men tend to keep our favorite pasty Victorian era biologist in check, I wanted you brought up to speed. People tend to fret more over the likes of Victor von Doom, but there was always somethin' about Essex that creeped me out big time."

"And he should," spat Gambit coldly. He needed no reminders of the horrors that Mr. Sinister and his Marauders could unleash. He had been party to it. He was the one who gathered the Marauders together for Sinister. And the guilt and nightmares would haunt him until the day he died.

"Well, I guess we owe you one, Fury," said Rogue. "This is the first solid lead we've had on Essex and his merry band in months. Hopefully the rest of the X-Men won't be in Japan much longer, so we can go spring Deadpool before Sinister gets what he wants outta him..."

"You've got time yet, Miss Mississippi," said Fury. "You didn't see it coming down, but judging from the trail of blood leading out of here, and complaints we heard about someone's truck gettin' jacked... Well, let's just say we can safely assume the Marauders failed to bag their quarry. I can't imagine Essex bein' too happy about that. In the meantime, if you got anything on Deadpool or Sinister that can help S.H.I.E.L.D. in their own hunt, do share."

There was silence for a moment. Not just because the relationship between S.H.I.E.L.D. and the X-Men was always a rocky one. They had precious little information to share about Mr. Sinister's current schemes to begin with. Gambit did have a suggestion for Nick Fury, but he knew he'd be playing with fire by simply bringing it up.

"Well, once we can pull him away from those girls prancing around in short skirts, maybe we can get Cable to drop you a line," said Gambit. As expected, that earned him a sour look from Fury. "Awww, don't be like that, Nicky," Gambit said wryly. "Sinister be the whole reason Cable exists in the first place. Plus, Cable's the only one who can tolerate workin' with that walkin', talkin' tumor. If anyone can help point S.H.I.E.L.D. in the right direction, he be the one."

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Cable only got a few hours of sleep since returning to the Hikawa Shrine. Of course, he was used to carrying on the fight with very little sleep. And despite how they wound up scrapping Kizachi's Sentinels, some instinct told Cable that their troubles were far from over. Not just how Usagi Tsukino had a long road ahead of her in her bid to change the hearts and minds of those in Japan, or finally getting through Naru Osaka's thick skull.

No, somehow Cable knew the worst dangers were not behind them. For one thing, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and Acolytes assembled and attacked in force. With Amelia Voght still with them, they could show up again at any time. That was why, despite being well into the afternoon, Cable made a point of patrolling the grounds around Rei's shrine, rifle at the ready.

 _Of course, it might not be entirely necessary if Magneto's goons didn't know ways to get around mutant telepathy. Erina Kizachi having some means to shield people with sensitive information doesn't help, either,_ Cable mused as he completed his perimeter check. Thankfully, along with his telepathy, Cable had his bionic eye. So far, it hadn't alerted him to anything unusual. _Then again, I'm still too inexperienced with telepathy, so I'd favor securing things the old-fashioned way regardless._

Logan felt the same way, as he was helping him do the rounds around the shrine. _"Wolverine, all clear on my end,"_ Cable said to him telepathically. _"How about you?"_

 _"Don't hear or smell anythin' funny,"_ was Logan's reply. _"Even I'm daring to think we turned a corner. Them Senshi sure helped us put a hurting on Magneto's lackeys. If they weren't wary about attackin' this shrine before, they'll definitely think twice now."_

Cable didn't exactly share Logan's optimism, but if Logan figured they were in no immediate danger, that was enough for him. Finally satisfied that the shrine was secure, Cable looped around to the front. Luckily, the shrine had no visitors at the moment, so Cable went in through the front door. He was surprised to see Rei sitting before the hearth, its flames casting a strange glow.

Her mental abilities were vastly different from his. Cable wasn't quite sure what Rei was trying to do. It looked like Rei was simply sitting there, meditating. But he had been around these Senshi long enough to know not to take appearances at face value. All of the X-teams had encountered the supernatural and wielders of magic at some point. Sometimes, that even included people in their own ranks. At first, Cable thought the Sailor Senshi would offer no surprises. He swiftly learned that wasn't the case.

Whatever trance she was in, Rei still turned upon hearing Cable step inside. Rei didn't exactly look like she let her guard down once she saw it was him. Cable admired that. No wonder these girls stayed alive this long. "Oh, it's you, Cable. Thanks for making sure none of those thugs sneak up on the shrine."

"If some of them do, you'll have my back," said Cable. "Kitty told me you handled Toad and Blob just fine. Blob's not an easy one to shake once he's got his sights set on you. I speak from experience."

"If you say so," said Rei. "Though Pyro was a different story. It was super-frustrating, how I couldn't dare use my powers around him."

"As someone who wasn't able to flex his proverbial psychic muscles for the longest time, I can understand that." Cable glanced at the flickering flames in the hearth. "Are you just meditating? Or are you trying to pinpoint something? I mean, Kizachi's not like this Queen Beryl or the others you've had to put down. She's got no dark powers to zero in on." _Of course, her soul is stained so black, Rei should be able to,_ Cable added silently.

"No, although that's frustrating too. How one ordinary woman is hitting us where it hurts so hard, so often." The acid bite to Rei's voice took even Cable aback. "No, I'm mostly meditating, but here and there I give it another try, locating Naru now that she can't stay at the Witches 5's base. From what Usagi's told us, maybe she's finally ready to listen to reason."

Cable didn't know how to reply to that. By planning to do something so outrageous with those Sentinels, it made a boy who stood by his mutant girlfriend turn on her. Would it finally bring Naru to her senses, or make her lash out more? Cable wasn't sure. Young girls were hard to figure out. The ones he looked after in X-Force could be so... unpredictable.

Cable decided to speak of something else. "Speaking of Usagi, how is she? She didn't look so good after that fight with Naru."

"Couldn't you just read her mind?" Rei asked delicately.

Cable had already fiddled with Usagi's mind once. Though it seemed a sensible ploy at the time, it didn't deal with a worse problem in the offing. "Xavier discourages that sort of thing, remember?"

"Good to know. But as you might expect, she's still smarting. And I blame Kizachi for that more than Naru herself," Rei spat testily. "She's been manipulating her for so long... Please tell me it'll finally be time to haul that arrogant witch in, once our teams are in top form again."

"It'll be tricky. Hopefully Minako's Interpol friends can help in building a case against her. And maybe She-Hulk can help with that instead, since her intended client is AWOL," said Cable.

Rei stifled a laugh. "Minako found you a bit overbearing, you know? Did you usually handle missions like that in X-Force?"

"I like to maintain strict discipline in combat situations, that's all," said Cable quickly. "And we're getting off-topic. Is Usagi holding up OK?"

"She won't recover overnight this time, Cable. It took a lot of intervention on our part after the first time Naru had it out for her, remember?" Rei looked back to the hearth. "And now the little movement spearheaded by Sailor Moon hasn't achieved the one thing she wanted most. It was a longshot, but still, Usagi's hurting worse than ever."

Again, Cable was at a loss for what to say, or what to do for these new allies. Usagi had looked to the X-Men for hope. But despite helping them bury those Sentinels, the X-Men had achieved little else for them.

"Just let me know if you find anything, Rei. I'll bodyslide over and haul Naru back so we can finish pounding some sense into her." Rei didn't look back to him. Perhaps she was already making another attempt.

Sighing, Cable made his way into that room the Tsukinos were staying in. For whatever reason, they had yet to return. Perhaps Xavier felt they were safer at the Ryuuzaki mansion for the time being. Sitting down on the bed, he looked over his rifle. There was so much work that still needed to be done. For one thing, he had to go back to the Blackbird and use its systems to calibrate those of his techno-organic components. His bodyslide function was still performing within acceptable parameters after Sailor Moon's attack, but he had to keep a close eye on it.

For the moment, however, Cable contented himself with maintaining his weapon. Piece by piece, he disassembled it. Given his lack of experience with his psychic powers, Cable preferred to have weapons on hand whenever possible. And any soldier understood the necessity of keeping one's weapon properly maintained. He began by cleaning every individual piece. Since he had taken it into a sewer last night, probably a good idea. Once that was done, he'd move on to making sure everything was properly calibrated.

But just as Cable was about to reassemble his rifle, he felt a pair of eyes upon him. That, and his bionic eye detected a thermal signature nearby. There was no mistaking who it was, given its size. Sighing, Cable finished reassembling his weapon and set it aside. "I'm actually surprised you waited this long," was all he said, looking to the door.

Chibiusa was standing there, arms folded, looking quite cross. "Given what we went through, we all needed time to decompress," she said coolly.

"You handled yourself against the Kleinstocks quite well," said Cable. "Whatever training you've been doing with the other Senshi, it's working."

Chibiusa rolled her eyes. "Oh, spare me the clichéd 'honorable warrior' routine. Don't try to preemptively change the subject. You know why I'm here."

"And there's no avoiding it this time, that much is certain," said Cable. He had dreaded Chibiusa learning the truth, and now she wouldn't let him brush her aside.

"So just give it to me straight. Why didn't you tell me you come from a time period after mine?" Chibiusa demanded.

Cable looked into the little girl's dark-brown eyes. The hurt and dread in them tore into his soul. Many accused Cable of being a trigger-happy psychopath, but for Cable, every day was a struggle to not lose sight of certain things. No doubt to the Sailor Senshi, he came off as a no-nonsense, overly pragmatic, grizzled soldier. That belied how he always had to struggle with the knowledge that there were lines he should not cross. And balance that knowledge with his mission to prevent what this girl now feared with good reason.

Cable took a deep breath, and said, "I simply felt I had no right to rip away your hope. That's one thing the Sailor Senshi have in abundance, but we X-folk have been lacking as of late."

"Wow, that _SO_ justifies not warning me that your blue-lipped buddy could be gunning for my kingdom back in the 30th century," said Chibiusa. "Damnit Cable, from what I heard about this guy, and given what the Black Moon Clan espoused... Maybe he already did!"

The little bugger was sharp, and knew how to cut him to the quick. He wouldn't appreciate valuable tactical information being withheld from him either. "You're right about all that. But whenever I looked at you, and saw someone filled with hope... That's not the norm for time-travelers. Like I said, I'm hardly alone. Rachel Summers and Bishop also came from hellish alternate futures."

" _ANOTHER_ Summers from the future?" Chibiusa spat incredulously. "Do I even want to know?"

"From a possible timeline stemming from the events Kitty's future self warned the X-Men about," said Cable. "In fact, she's the one who sent Kitty's mind back in time telepathically. She's the actual future daughter of Jean Grey. As opposed to me being the son of her clone later sent to the future to have this techno-organic virus kept in check."

At first, Chibiusa could only facepalm. "No wonder Plu never talked about you guys. You X-people must've caused her so many migraines..."

"So maybe she didn't want you worrying about En Sabah Nur, either," said Cable.

"Too late for that now," said Chibiusa tersely. "If Magneto and his lackeys can give the Sailor Senshi so much trouble, then I have every right to be worried about a mutant pretty much considered a god."

Cable regarded Chibiusa for a moment. She was so much younger than the New Mutants he took under his wing, forming X-Force. That had been another balancing act. Recognizing the need to train up and prepare those young mutants, while taking pains to see they weren't sacrificed needlessly in his war. Naturally, his first instinct had been to spare someone far younger such painful knowledge. Cable now realized he was only protecting himself all this time. This kid had fought beside the X-Men and against them. There was no questioning her courage or potential. But if Apocalypse was gunning for Crystal Tokyo, the time to start preparing her was now.

"All good points," Cable admitted. Cable scooted to the foot of the bed, letting Chibiusa clamber up and sit beside him. "Listen closely, kiddo. It's true that Apocalypse could be considered a god. But the funny thing about gods is that even they can be killed, if you know how to fight them..."

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Erina Kizachi looked down at the Babylonian artifact clutched in both hands. With tears in her eyes, she bent down, her forehead pressing against it. So many memories attached to this artifact, unearthed in happier times. Back when her marriage had yet to become a loveless sham, back when her daughter was still alive. A sprightly young thing, full of hope and dreams, much like Usagi Tsukino must have been growing up. Little surprise that later on, Erika would come to idolize Sailor Moon.

But long before that, on that archaeological expedition their family went on on one vacation, Erika unearthed this at a dig site. After spending many months analyzing it, the archaeologists let them keep it. It thrilled Erika to no end. She always said she could sense there was something special about it, though it was little more than a means of carrying water.

Now, for Erina, it did hold a special significance. A reminder of what she had lost, and what was never hers in the first place.

All this, from designing these Sentinels to helping Magneto's cause by surreptitiously stirring up fear of mutants, was done in the memory of the daughter stolen from her. As much as she hated Usagi Tsukino with every fiber of her being, Erina had been truthful when she said it wasn't all about her. No, her heart had plenty of room left for hate for her entire country. That was why she was happy to let Japan become ground zero for Magneto's cause of mutant liberation. So many in Japan foolishly looked to her and her Sentinels as their salvation. Erina wondered if she would survive long enough to see that hope turn to horror.

Erina lifted her head back up, taking a good look around her secret office beneath the corporate headquarters of Kizachi Technologies. She was under no delusions about her chances. This would, in all likelihood, be the last time she would look upon this secret base. All of Sailor Moon's previous enemies, people far more powerful than her, underestimated the girl and her allies. All of them paid the price for that fatal mistake. And now the X-Men were counted among those allies, the people most experienced with fighting Sentinels.

"It was a challenge I relished, building a new breed of Sentinel to rectify the failures of past generations," Erina said to herself as she stood up. She still held the artifact close, and still shed tears. "No wonder Nephrite found fertile ground in me for his energy farming. Who knows, maybe my Sentinels will perform better than I dare hope, now that those fools in both chambers of the National Diet voted to approve their use. But as the Shinto priestess said, only a fool bets against Sailor Moon. Thankfully, I don't need for my Sentinels to beat you, Tsukino. It's simply their deployment that will set off a chain reaction you and your Ginzuishou can't stop..."

Erina walked around her desk, ignoring the screens at her back. Through them, she had observed the entire city over the past year, and thus a good deal of the Sailor Senshi's battles. And with her skills in robotics, she could mount cameras on mobile units. They could always worm their way into the homes of the Sailor Senshi, or their shrine.

It was how she learned everything about them, eavesdropping on their conversations. It usually served to make her blood boil all over again. That slip of a girl was destined to unite the world as her dead kingdom's new queen? It further fueled Erina's determination to see this through to the end.

But now, there was no further need of such surveillance. Or the idiot-proofed Sentinel interface she slapped together for Gai. No, there was a far better means to direct the Sentinels elsewhere. It was important to get there as quickly as possible, to leave this place behind. Once the chaos began, the Senshi and X-Men would probably target this place, and this office would meet the same fate as her expendable Sentinel base. Perhaps they might stiffen their spines and bring her corporate headquarters down well before that.

"So be it. I never had any delusions that I, myself, would leave anything worthwhile behind," Erina said with a tone of finality. She strode past the shelf with the jars that housed writhing plant matter and buzzing nanomachines, all that remained of Telulu and Viluy. She looked at the jars with a smirk. "I'm taking this artifact, but leaving you two here. I'll at least leave the Sailor Senshi the pleasure of finally ending your miserable existences. I do hope there's enough left of your essences to sense terror. Knowing that the end is swiftly approaching for you, as surely as it is for me."

Her bluster directed at what was left at those who literally tore her heart out did little to quell her anxieties. That perplexed Erina. When she first got to work on her plans, she believed that when the time came for the end, there would be a sense of calm. After all, the vote to approve deploying Sentinels went just as she hoped, and Usagi Tsukino was an even bigger emotional wreck after facing Naru Osaka a second time. Even more curious, Erina found the shamanistic meditation techniques she was forced to learn as a child also accomplished little. They had let Erina shake off the influence of Nephrite's youma, but now failed her as her plans were finally reaching fruition.

Perhaps it was because things had not progressed as smoothly as Erina had hoped. Despite all her cautious planning, things almost went awry more than once. Sailor Moon forged a truce with the X-Men sooner than anticipated. And she certainly hadn't expected Sailor Moon to appeal to the people of Japan the way she did. Her plans were fluid enough to adapt, and in many ways things were actually proceeding more swiftly than first hoped. Though sometimes, Erina was still amazed she made it this far, so close to victory.

And then there was what left the bitterest taste in her mouth: Mayumi Osaka's death. She certainly hadn't wished to torment her daughter like _THAT_. Having Gai manipulate his yakuza clan to lean even harder on the Osakas was cruel enough, but necessary. After watching Usagi all this time, Erina understood the only thing that could break the girl was forcing her to fight a friend who was under no spell. Who turned on her of her own free will. Not to mention, it could potentially deliver Magneto a powerful recruit, emphasizing how he was the only hope for Japan's young mutants.

But Naru had rejected Magneto's offer, and Usagi wasn't quite broken yet, making Mayumi's death even more galling to Erina. It was Gai's stupidity that did Naru's mother in, but he had been acting under her orders.

"In other parts of the world, it's believed accepting a certain savior can absolve you of your sins," Erina muttered to herself. "If only that were true in my case. I've been damned ever since I lost my daughter. Nothing will change that. All I have left is to press forward, headlong into oblivion."

So Erina strode over to the ladder leading up and out of her private office. The sun would be setting soon. Dusk would herald the deployment of her Sentinels, and finally, all hell would break loose in Japan. Now was no time for anxiety, for regretting the horrible mistakes made in getting this far. She had to prepare for the ordeal ahead. At long last, it was time to drive that final stake through Usagi Tsukino's heart.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Usagi sat in silence as Haruka drove on, the sun setting beyond Tokyo's skyline. Ever since escaping Kizachi's crumbling base, Usagi had tried to get some sleep. What sleep she had gotten was horribly broken. A Senshi's durability or no, Usagi still ached from getting thrashed around by Naru. But her sleep was mostly cut short by reliving the nightmare she endured hours before. It was bad enough fighting Naru once, but now twice, with the stakes so high? It was as if no matter how hard she and the other Senshi worked, things kept falling apart. As if fate was determined to stab them in the heart again and again.

 _How do the X-Men keep at it?_ Usagi wondered. _From everything we've learned about them, it's the same story on their end. No matter how hard they fight, things just seem to get worse for them, not better._

Maybe that was why she sought the X-Men out in the first place. Surely they had some idea of what to do next, to make their dream a reality, if they had enough hope to carry on. But when it became clear this wasn't exactly the case, the Sailor Senshi realized they had to try something on their own. And now, it looked like they were faring no better. _Mama's right. Tensions are getting worse in Japan, not better. Fights are breaking out everywhere. And all for what? Storm was right, too. Naru wasn't impressed at all by what's been happening. And Kizachi was right about me not noticing the problem brewing right under my nose, until it was too late..._

Doubt and shame ate away at Usagi, close to tears for not the first time that day. Just as Usagi felt like surrendering, she felt a hand over hers. Usagi turned to see Mamoru through bleary eyes, a look of concern on his face. "Are you sure you're up for this, Usa-ko? If you want to sit things out for a day or two, none of us would think any less of you."

"You may not, Mamo-chan. But all the people out there looking up to Sailor Moon are a different story," Usagi said sorrowfully. "They need to _SEE_ Sailor Moon is still behind them. It might be the only thing keeping them going forward. Even if I'm running low on hope, just being there might lift theirs."

"You really have matured since when we first met, Usagi," said Luna, who she held in her lap along with Artemis. "Just... don't push yourself too hard."

"Yeah, Usagi. Being worn down after fighting Naru again is just what Kizachi wants," added Artemis.

"I know, I know," said Usagi quickly. "Still, I can't believe Naru did all this of her own free will. And now I can't help but wonder where she is. If I'm hurting, she must be hurting way worse after Umino made it clear he couldn't be with her anymore."

Luna scowled at Usagi. Obviously, the mooncat still wasn't quite ready to forgive Naru. Usagi let it slide. Now wasn't the time for sniping at each other. It was more important than ever that the bonds between them all remained strong. Kizachi and Magneto were still out there, and Usagi wasn't quite so naïve as to believe they were thwarted yet.

"I think we can afford to not worry about what Naru will do for a while, Usagi," said Rei, who was riding shotgun. "If Kizachi keeps eluding us, it stands to reason Naru won't be finding her anytime soon and truly crossing the line."

It was as if Rei had read her thoughts. Did Professor X or Cable teach her a new trick? "But any luck with finding Naru?" Usagi asked hopefully. "Before we left, I heard Cable mention you were trying again."

Rei shook her head. "She's as slippery as ever. But I did sense something odd whenever I tried. A strange... resonance. One too far away from the Witches 5's lair to mean she went back there. It vaguely reminded me of Naru's dark power, and yet..."

"I wonder if it's coming from the same direction I sensed an ill wind blowing from," said Haruka suddenly. "Once this is over, we should compare notes, Rei."

"I'd rather do it now, but we're already here," Rei pointed out. Usagi looked up to see they were coming up on the block beyond which another march would soon take place. Many had already taken place over the last week or so, each one rumored to have Sailor Moon herself appear. Rumors the Senshi themselves spread, so as to keep people guessing as to which ones Sailor Moon would actually show up at.

Most importantly, it kept the police guessing. The authorities couldn't always commit their resources to every rumored march. That lowered the risk of those on Usagi's side getting hurt because of her, not to mention made things a little safer for her. Usagi still wasn't sure how she felt throwing away the Sailor Senshi's good name. She knew Makoto hated how Sailor Jupiter was now viewed with even more suspicion than her normal self. And no doubt her mother was aghast at how Usagi's alter ego was now a wanted criminal.

Usagi felt herself tear up as she thought about the last time Ikuko spoke with her. Her mother was taking the revelation so hard. Usagi taking it upon herself to do something about this rising anti-mutant paranoia only made it worse. It was something Usagi knew she had to do, but it was further driving in the wedge between them. Could it ever be removed? Could they ever come to an understanding?

Haruka pulled her car into a nearby parking lot, and they all clambered out. The sun had almost set. The march would soon begin. After turning the corner of a nearby building, Usagi saw all the people who had shown up. This was probably the biggest one yet, and other marches had drawn thousands. It helped to raise Usagi's hopes a little, but the ache from last night's battle, both physical and emotional, lingered on.

Usagi, Haruka, Rei and Mamoru waded through the crowd, the cats hot on their heels. Usagi caught glimpses of faces in the crowd. She thought she spotted Hiromi Matsumo and Kazuko Tadashita, the two animators who had worked on that brief Sailor V anime. _Just how many people the Senshi helped in the past wound up getting mixed up in this?_ Usagi wondered. It lifted her hopes a little more, this notion that the Senshi planted seeds long before they put Sailor Moon's face on television.

Then she caught a glimpse of Motoki and Unazaki at the other end of the street. And Unazaki even had motor oil on her face! Usagi remembered how fearful she had been around Dr. McCoy. Was Sailor Moon pleading on television all that was needed for her to see the light?

Usagi was so lost in thought, she wound up bumping into someone. She muttered a quick apology and bowed. However, this man she ran into sounded confused by that.

"Hey, I've been through worse in my time, little lady," said the man. There was a decidedly American accent to his voice. "Besides, if Sailor Moon shows up, I bet she'll make people wanting to shut down this march cough up more than an apology." Then he finished with something in English: "'Nuff said."

Blinking in surprise, Usagi looked up to see that old man Naru rescued from the plummeting monorail car. That woman who must have ridden alongside him was there, too. Both had oil slathered over their faces.

Usagi had no idea why this guy kept showing up, and was too preoccupied to ask. She simply took heart in how someone who had no stake in what happened in Japan took it upon himself to do his part.

She looked over the crowd one last time before the group ducked down an alley. Usagi glimpsed a few police officers, and shivered. Would they try to arrest her? What would she be forced to do if they dared? But things had progressed too far now, and Sailor Moon's presence was needed. There was no turning back.

They went further down the alley. Mamoru hung back to keep watch, while the cats scouted ahead. "Looks like it's all clear, Usagi. Go ahead," Luna called back.

Usagi leaned her head against the brick wall for a moment. Part of her still felt like this was pointless. All this was done in the hopes she could get Naru to see the light as she fought to pull Japan from the brink. Those hopes had been crushed last night. All those other times Naru was caught in the crossfire, Sailor Moon pulled her fat from the fire. But this time, she failed to save Naru's very soul.

Being so wrapped up in self-loathing, Usagi almost didn't hear another voice. "Please, Mamoru, let me talk to her," the voice pleaded.

It took a moment for the voice to click in Usagi's mind. Blinking back tears, Usagi lifted her head back up, and gasped in astonishment.

Her mother had come down the alley, looking over her anxiously. But what truly surprised Usagi about Ikuko's face was that it also had oil streaked across it! In an X shape, no less!

"Mama! What're you doing here!?" Usagi cried in disbelief. "Yeah, you keep telling me to stay out of all this. But, if you saw us going through the crowd, that oil... _YOU'RE_ going to be in the march!?" Ikuko could only nod meekly. "Why? You tried to keep me from going after Naru last night? Why the change of heart?"

"Well, I figured instead of saying 'I told you so,' I-I-I-I could try something else," said Ikuko. "Honestly, I don't know what I'm doing, Usagi. I have no idea what to do, things have gotten so crazy. I guess, like you, I finally feel I just need to _DO_ something. S-S-S-So I guess if I can just be here, be a mother standing behind her daughter, I can tell myself I did something in all this..."

For a moment, Usagi could only stare blankly at her mother. This was such a change from the last time they spoke. She had been staying at the Ryuuzaki mansion. Professor X was there, too. Did he possibly 'change' her mind, instead of scrubbing her memory like he originally intended? No, Xavier wasn't like that. But Usagi suspected Xavier somehow had a hand in this.

Bawling, Usagi rushed over and hugged Ikuko. "Oh Mama, I'm so sorry I pushed you away like that! I-I-I-I'm so happy that you came, that you're trying to understand..." Ikuko said nothing. She merely hugged Usagi back. For now, that was more than enough.

"Ready now, Odango?" Haruka asked suddenly.

Usagi finally pulled herself away from Ikuko. Nodding, she pulled out her brooch and screamed, "Moon Crisis Makeup!" When the light faded and she stood before them as Sailor Moon, she couldn't help but see the look on Ikuko's face. Instead of shock like last time, there was resignation. But more importantly, there was a hint of pride.

Sailor Moon nodded to Ikuko and her friends, then began to wall jump up to the roof of the building. Wasting no time, she ran toward the side facing the street and jumped down. With grace any gymnast would envy, her feet touched down on a lamppost. Many in the crowd spotted her instantly. They pointed up and cried in amazement, while others whipped out cameras to snap photos.

For a brief moment, Sailor Moon allowed herself to bask in their adoration and wonder. A glimpse of some of the police officers, however, snapped her attention back to the task at hand. They were no doubt weighing if it was worth it to try and arrest Sailor Moon, in the midst of so many of her supporters. Best to not give them that chance, by getting things started.

"Thanks for showing up, everyone!" Sailor Moon cried out to the crowd. "So far, you've made your voices heard, and we've kept people from using Sentinels! If we keep things up, maybe we'll..."

A shrill roar suddenly drowned out Sailor Moon's voice. Looking up, Sailor Moon almost froze up from fear.

Not one, but _TWO_ Sentinels were descending toward the street. They crashed down in the middle of the street, not too far from the front of the crowd prepared to march. Naturally, they all screamed in confusion and panic, but Sailor Moon knew they weren't the Sentinels' target. She was.

The right arms of both Sentinels were transformed into chain guns, but they raised their left hands instead, firing powerful stun blasts. Sailor Moon backflipped off the lamppost before it was blown apart. "Moon Tiara Action!" she screamed before she touched down. Her blazing tiara kept ricocheting off the closer Sentinel's head, curving back to smack it each time it bounced off, chipping away at its armor. Each time, it delivered enough of a jolt to disorient the mechanical monster, forcing it back little by little.

The other one took aim with its chain gun just as she recalled her tiara. Praying that the crowd had fallen back far enough, Sailor Moon slapped it back on, eyeing the moon that was low in the sky. "Moon Twilight Flash!" she cried, firing her beam of reflected moonlight at the second Sentinel. She was forcing it back, but the first one was now taking aim. _Mamoru, Rei, where the hell are all of you!?_ Sailor Moon thought anxiously, gritting her teeth. She could hear the chaingun revving up...

Help came just in time, just not from who Sailor Moon expected. A cry like that of a bloodthirsty animal echoed in the street. Something launched itself off the wall of a nearby building. Whoever it was, he threw off a trench coat, letting him blend in with the dusk almost perfectly, until...

Sailor Moon's heart leapt as she saw the gleam of moonlight reflected off adamantium claws. With another howl, Wolverine sank his claws into the Sentinel's neck. Like a man possessed, he ripped through its weird polymer armor.

That bought the other Senshi enough time to step in after having to find a safe place to transform. Even over the shrill of her attack, Sailor Moon heard the clicking of heels.

"Mars Flame Sniper!"

"Space Sword Blaster!"

Both attacks struck the Sentinel that Sailor Moon was trying to force back in its neck, just as it was taking aim with its chaingun. Going for the vulnerable areas with lighter armor. Meanwhile, the other Sentinel managed to grab Wolverine off its shoulder and hurl him down onto a parked truck. Tuxedo Kamen picked up where Wolverine left off. After chucking a few roses into its faceplate to temporarily blind it, he jumped up onto its shoulder and rammed his extended cane into its neck, as if to slit its throat.

Sailor Moon feared for her love, but knew she could stop to help him until the other Sentinel was dealt with. The Sentinel maneuvered to put itself between her and the moon. Even as the power of Sailor Moon's attack dwindled, Mars and Uranus kept pouring it on.

"World Shaking!" roared Uranus. Her concentrated blast of wind managed to make the behemoth tumble backwards.

"Burning Mandala!" Mars shrieked. Each of her blazing rings honed in on a sensitive joint where the armor was weaker. Smoke and sparks shot up from wherever a ring struck. The Sentinel finally toppled, and it didn't stir to rise again.

Turning her attention to the other Sentinel, Sailor Moon cried out upon seeing Tuxedo Kamen get thrown against a wall. But then Wolverine called out to her.

"Sailor Moon! Storm wanted me in the crowd in case somethin' went down!" he called out. "So I could provide backup, and give you back this!" He reached into a duffel back and pulled out something shiny and red.

Wolverine threw it over to Sailor Moon. She caught the piece of the Iron Man suit and immediately slid it over her left arm. It latched on as cables snaked up and around her on their own, reattaching themselves to her brooch, and thus the Ginzuishou.

Sailor Moon clenched her armored fist as the gauntlet hummed to life. Mars and Uranus had been providing cover fire to distract the Sentinel. A volley from its chaingun forced them to scatter, and now it took aim at Sailor Moon, but it was too late. Sailor Moon raised her outstretched hand and fired a repulsor blast into the gaping hole Tuxedo Kamen made. The Sentinel's head seemed to implode, and it toppled back like the other one.

Sailor Moon took a moment to catch her breath, then rushed over to where she saw Tuxedo Kamen fall. Wolverine was already helping him up, and the cats were coming out from behind cover. "Oh no, Tuxedo Kamen! Are you alirght!?" Sailor Moon cried.

"I've survived worse, Sailor Moon," Tuxedo Kamen muttered, limping a little. He probably would have slumped to his knees if not for Wolverine. "Did w-w-w-we keep them from hurting anyone?"

"For now, Cape-Boy," Wolverine growled. "But I'm gettin' a heads-up from Professor Xavier. These Sentinels are touchin' down everywhere in Tokyo. Lookin' for you Sailor Senshi, lookin' for the mutants you rounded up... Who knows? There's only one thing we know for sure. This ain't the sorta thing you like hearing, Sailor Moon, but you got a full-scale war on your hands now."

Sailor Moon looked down to the cats. Their faces were full of sorrow, not to mention frustration that they wouldn't be any help against Sentinels. Then she looked to see Mars and Uranus stepping forward, also trying to steady their breathing. Well past them, Sailor Moon could see where the crowd had fallen back to. Most of them stared at the Senshi and Wolverine with awe and apprehension. But then Sailor Moon caught a glimpse of her mother. Ikuko mouthed only one word: _"Go."_

Turning back to Wolverine, Sailor Moon said, "I guess I always knew it'd come to a full-blown war. So, still up for that Sentinel-scrapping spree with the Sailor Senshi?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A stiff nighttime breeze blew through Naru's hair and rustled her skirt. She glowered at the yakuza thug she dangled over the edge of the building by his ankle, frustrated by her lack of progress.

She always thought the disguise she threw together before fighting yakuza that first time looked ridiculous. Now, Naru realized her old Eclipse look at least gave her an air of menace and mystique, thus easily letting her instill fear.

As it stood, when Naru risked teleporting back into the Witches 5's base, she only stayed long enough to grab one fresh set of clothes. Even with her array of mutant powers, even with her face half-covered by her oil slick, it was hard to look intimidating wearing her old school uniform. _Maybe it's no wonder the Sailor Senshi never really went after common criminals,_ Naru realized. _With their fukus, your everyday yakuza thug may not have taken them too seriously, either._

"Well, are we gonna hang around here all day, or what?" the thug sneered, daring to smirk at Naru.

"Look, it's been a long day. And now that night's fallen, I'm sure you've got other places to be," Naru said, her voice one of determined calm. There was nothing keeping her from breaking this man in half, now that her secret identity was blown. After what happened the night before, after Umino leaving her, she needed to vent her rage. It was a struggle, patiently waiting until she could find the scum most responsible for her mother's death. "Just tell me where I can find your old buddy Gai Izumi. By now, it should've sunk in that he's been backstabbing your entire clan all this time."

Her prisoner actually had the balls to laugh at her, despite being dangled twenty stories above solid concrete. "You know, you actually had everyone in my clan pissing ourselves for weeks. You did a good job spooking us. But now, seeing you're actually just a hurt, confused little girl, I can't believe you're the same one who sent so many of my friends to the hospital."

"And if I don't get answers out of you soon, I'm liable to send you to join them," Naru spat back.

"What, a little frustrated that the one guy insane enough to stick with a freakshow like you finally wised up?" the man dared. "Yeah, word on the street is that the little dork you kidnapped dumped your ass."

This was the last thing Naru needed. She offered Umino a future where they could do anything together, unfettered by any rules, and he torpedoed that idea. Literally. Maybe he had been right, that unleashing the Sentinels like she planned would've caused needless casualties like when the Acolytes attacked that hospital. Either way, she had probably lost Umino for good, and now she was left with nothing. Except tracking down the man who murdered her mother, before she hunted down the one who calling the shots to ruin her life.

"Ooooh, strike a nerve, sweetie?" the yakuza thug went on. "Seriously, you think you're gonna shake me down, like those two Senshi and their gaijin friend did with the other guy? Trust me, you're going about it all wrong. I myself once ratted someone out to the gaijin, years ago. Take it from me, you're no..." He then screamed "GAAAAAAAAIIIIIIJIN!" after Naru let go of his ankle.

Naru took a deep breath, and concentrated. In the blink of an eye, she faded away in a plume of black flame. She reappeared on a balcony, just beyond a sliding glass door, on the second floor. More black ooze flowed down her bare arms. Tendrils attached themselves to the adjacent wall, forming a net of sorts. The screaming goon fell into it, dropping a few meters and probably coming perilously close to the ground before springing back up.

He was still screaming, trembling with fear, as Naru's tendrils detached from the wall to bring him closer. Naru brought his face up to hers, dangling him upside-down with a tendril. "What was that about not being enough like Wolverine?" she asked innocently. "Now then, don't make me ask again..."

"I-I-I-I told you before, you little f-f-f-freak, no one knows where Gai Izumi disappeared to!" the thug spluttered. "N-N-N-No one's seen him in days! My boss w-w-w-w-wants him found even more than you do!"

Naru sighed, realizing this guy was finally too terrified to lie. It made sense. Now that Gai Izumi had done his work for his aunt, she was making sure he laid low. It was looking more and more like she would have to find Erina Kizachi first, force her nephew's whereabouts out of her.

As Naru wondered how she could do that, there was a loud rumbling, along with the roar of a jet engine. Both Naru and her yakuza captive turned toward the noise. Naru felt a chill upon seeing a Sentinel charge down a city street. Thankfully, this time it didn't seem to detect her presence. It marched on, oblivious to the mutant quarry so close, as if on the hunt for someone else.

"Oh great, there's more of them!?" Naru cried. "After hearing that the property she bought up got blown sky-high, I figured the Senshi... Lovely, Kizachi must've had more stashed away somewhere, and gotten to go-ahead to turn them all loose!"

"Gee, maybe you should be laying low too, kiddo. If those things are finally rounding up you freaks..." Naru had her tendrils slam him down into the back alley below. Not hard enough to break any bones, but it got the punk out of her face, gave her a moment to think. It was looking like the Sentinel that came after her before was a special case. Kizachi somehow must've known where she was. That meant that whatever threw off things like Cerebro and Rei's spiritual powers was still working.

And that could give her an edge. Kizachi was pushing ahead with her plans, whatever they were, and had no idea Eclipse could still throw a monkey wrench in the works. Naru just had to be patient a little longer, and revenge would be hers.

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Well, it's been a long, confusing road, but everything is finally coming full-circle! Get ready for a long wait for the next chapter, as it's liable to be a double-length, Sentinel-scrapping extravaganza! Yeah yeah yeah, I spent a lot of time in this chapter setting up a sequel or two (I promised you Deadpool, didn't I?). But don't dwell too much on that. Everything else the story's been building up to finally comes to a head next chapter! If you were expecting, and wanting, an insane crossover battle bonanza, in a few weeks you'll get it!

So long,

Grey-X


	31. More Guest Stars Than You Can Shake a

**Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse**

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 31: More Guest Stars Than You Can Shake a Tiara At!

7-8-2018

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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JunJun impatiently paced the halls of what was to be the new corporate headquarters of that toy company, once construction was completed. It seemed like such a good idea before. When Sailor Moon got herself on television, pleading to everyone in Japan, the Amazoness Quartet agreed to join in. The Sailor Senshi could be preachy and overbearing, but they did owe them, and this would more than make up for all the grief they caused in the past.

Although it could be argued the Senshi helped the Amazoness Quartet see the light, some things just wouldn't change. Ordinary girls they may be now, but they still detested boredom. Oh, it was fun as first. Challenging, too. Coming up with ways to prank cops and mercenaries without their powers, tripping them up so they could spirit the mutants they were after to safety. It also felt good, being up to their old tricks and doing it for a good cause.

But it wasn't long before just about all the mutants in Tokyo and the surrounding wards were hidden here and at the Ryuuzaki mansion. Things swiftly switched to simply keeping watch over the two safehouses while the Senshi, and probably those X-Men, got to have all the fun.

 _They better appreciate this,_ JunJun fumed silently as she treaded the halls. _It's not like they've been the most supportive type since they convinced us to smash the balls. It was like, "OK, you've given up on eternal youth, now good luck." Not to mention..._

JunJun was snapped out of her sulking when she heard faint voices. Voices from people that sounded about her age?

Curious, JunJun walked toward the source. There was a door at the end of the hall, slightly ajar. Cautiously, she peeked through it. At first, all JunJun could see was the back of some girl with long, purplish-black hair. She seemed to be holding some sort of camera. "Ooooh, it's great that I was finally able to complete your new battle costume, Sakura! You really do look the part, considering who we're helping out."

JunJun figured this girl decked her friend in some facsimile of a sailor fuku. But when she stepped aside, shooting from another angle, JunJun saw that wasn't quite the case.

The one wearing the 'battle costume' was the same age as the other girl, with short, auburn-brown hair. And she had a flummoxed, nervous expression. If she had to wear get-ups like that on a regular basis, JunJun didn't blame her. Her face was partially obscured by a dark-pink hood and cape, and a big bow fastened them in the front. She had a mask too, shaped like two pink wings with dark lenses.

But what stood out most was the chest piece. It was composed of armored plates, most a bright pink. However, there was yellow as well, forming an X over her chest. That was what the other girl must've meant by 'looking the part'. Though she did sport a poofy pink skirt with yellow trim. All in all, however, the 'battle costume' looked quite practical. Thick leggings, elbowpads and kneepads, along with boots and gauntlets with the same protective plating, completed the outfit.

"You look lovely, Sakura! Just like a superhero!" the girl with the camera went on. "Oh, I wonder if I'll get a chance to film you in action with it!"

"Uhhh, you really think it'll come to that, Tomoyo?" Sakura asked delicately.

"Well, if it does, that costume looks a bit sturdier than Tomoyo's usual fare," came another voice, this one a boy's. "Though it's not too good for camouflage. Don't the actual X-Men's uniforms let them blend into the night?"

The boy suddenly stepped into view. _Like you can talk, kid, with those bright green robes I could slice through with a butterknife,_ JunJun mused.

"Aw c'mon, Syaoran! It's all about having your heart in the right place!" came the voice of a third girl. "That's why Tomoyo helped me replace the yin-yang on my robes with _THIS_!" A girl with black hair done up in twintails similar to Usagi's stepped up, proudly puffing out her chest. There was indeed a big, circular X emblem on her robes.

"Uh, come to think of it Meiling, don't we have to be mutants to wear this symbol?" Sakura asked sheepishly.

"Or at least have some sort of special power," Syaoran added bluntly.

"Well, if I can't be born with magic, I'm holding out hope I at least get to be a mutant!" cried Meiling. "I wake up each morning hoping that, I dunno, I can shoot laser beams out of my eyes or something."

Tomoyo suddenly looked concerned. "Meiling, I think the X-Man who _CAN_ do that can't really control that power."

Meiling's face screwed up in annoyance. "Oh, piss all over a girl's dreams, why don't you!?"

 _Dreams... Don't these X-Men also have this dream, one they keep fighting for?_ JunJun wondered. During her time with the Dead Moon Circus, they sought to forcibly peer into dreams, or let Lemures eat people's dreams to swell their ranks. The Senshi, of course, fought them tooth and nail, until finally getting through to the four of them. Is that why Usagi was so invested in this? Did she believe in this dream as strongly as these X-Men did? That it was worth putting so much on the line?

As these questions plagued JunJun, a blaring alarm suddenly went off. Down the hall, she heard soldiers from the Mendou conglomerate's private army bark orders to each other and march out. This could only mean one thing: the building was under attack. Sighing, she ran after them, and this took JunJun back out into the main lobby.

JunJun pushed past some people. She ignored annoyed grunts from this girl with a spatula strapped to her back, and a tall buxom woman in a nurse's uniform. Finally, she spotted her three closest friends, and with them were those four Ayakashi Sisters. JunJun smiled to herself. They were all supposed to be good guys now. But over the last few days, the eight of them delighted in swapping stories of how they tormented the Senshi to no end. There was no laughter between them now, however.

"What's going on?" asked JunJun. "Why the alarm?"

"Take a look out there," said Koan fearfully, pointing up.

The front lobby of the building had fanciful glass windows going up several stories. Through them, JunJun could see several large shapes drop down out of the night sky. For the first time since Zirconia turned on them, JunJun felt a shiver of fear. "Aren't those Sentinels!?" she cried out, her voice almost drowned out by the booming of their feet crashing down onto asphalt. "Didn't that blue furry guy give Ami gizmos that jammed those things scanning for mutant DNA!?"

"Evidently, they are no longer effective," said CereCere.

"Or someone ratted us out," spat Berthier. "Oooooh, it's like I told Ami... What I wouldn't give to undo our purification so we could lay down the law!"

"I sure wouldn't mind us Amazonesses having our power back either," JunJun grumbled, looking up at those Sentinels taking position outside. All of them had their right arms turned into miniguns, aiming at the front lobby. And JunJun doubted that businesswoman invested in bulletproof glass. She heard those soldiers taking up positions and readying weapons. But if these things gave those X-Men and even the Sailor Senshi trouble, there wasn't much they could do.

But then, out the corner of her eye, JunJun saw that Sakura girl stride past those soldiers, cape fluttering. She clutched some weird, pink staff. At the end, there was a hoop housing a golden star, with wings at either side. She was marching right for the front entrance, as if to take the Sentinels on.

"Wait, what are you planning to do!?" demanded Syaoran, running after her.

Meiling snorted. "We're under siege by giant killer robots built to resist the Sailor Senshi's elemental power. What do you _THINK_ she's gonna do!?"

Syaoran looked to Meiling in shock, then back to Sakura. "But I thought you hated using that card..."

Sakura looked over her shoulder. JunJun caught the sheepish look through her mask's lenses. "Like Meiling said, it's not like there's a choice."

She looked ahead again and resumed her march toward the entrance. The soldiers called for her to get back, but the girl ignored them. Sakura kicked open the glass doors, calmly stepped outside and went down the steps. The Sentinels closest to the front of the building aimed their miniguns down at her, but didn't fire. Sakura said she wasn't a mutant, so naturally, the Sentinels wouldn't go after her. At least, not immediately. But just what did she plan to do?

Curious, JunJun crept closer for a better look. She could hear the other Amazonesses and the Ayakashi Sisters cautious follow close behind. As those Sentinels stared down at the girl, she whipped out a pink card with a strange, ornate design on the back. It seemed to flutter in midair above her. And then, JunJun heard Sakura shout, "Transform me into a tower that looms high in the skies... _**BIG!**_ "

Her staff touched the hovering card, and the very air around Sakura resonated with some strange power. What looked like lightning arced around her, washing over her along with shearing winds. And then, to JunJun's amazement, the girl began to grow! She shot up in height, and in no time at all, the Sentinels had to look _UP_ at Sakura! When her body finally stopped expanding, she had to be at least three times their size! Despite the height of the windows at the front lobby, JunJun couldn't even see Sakura's head and shoulders anymore!

For once, JunJun had no words. This girl thought she wasn't qualified to wear something like a X-Man's uniform!? Some of the crowd behind her gasped or shouted. Only VesVes and Petz blurted out what everyone must've been thinking: " _ **HOLY FUCKING SHIT!**_ "

"I bet those Sentinels are thinking something similar," muttered Calaveras.

JunJun could only nod, wondering how those overgrown toy soldiers were processing this turn of events. But what went through the head of the closest Sentinel was a wing on Sakura's staff. She swung it down like an axe, decapitating it with one swipe. JunJun turned and watched its head fly down the street, out of sight. When JunJun looked back, Sakura grabbed the head of the next Sentinel and hoisted it up. With a howl of fury, Sakura clenched her hand into a fist. The Sentinel's lifeless body fell back down to the street, sparks flying from where its head used to be.

"Where can PallaPalla get cards like that!? Are they next to the Yu-Gi-Oh starter decks?" PallaPalla shrieked, pointing up at the towering girl. Sakura moved in to strike down a third, but the Sentinels were finally fighting back. They opened fire with their miniguns, some of them taking to the air. Sakura grunted as she tried to sidestep them, but didn't fall back. In fact, she waded into their onslaught, each step making the lobby shake.

Another swipe from her staff took out a Sentinel hovering nearby. The rest kept up the pressure, but JunJun could see their bullets bounce harmlessly off Sakura's chestpiece. Tomoyo did her job well. Only fire directed at Sakura's face had any effect. Even then, shots aimed at her eyes rebounded off the thick lenses of her mask.

Not to mention, it just pissed Sakura off even more. Another cry of rage, another swipe from her staff, another Sentinel tumbling down to the street below. It rolled toward the building, smashing into part of the lobby's windows, uncomfortably close to the Amazoness Quartet and Ayakashi Sisters. Many of them yelped as they fell back, JunJun included. Even downed, it fired back up at Sakura with its minigun and some weird energy blaster housed in its left hand.

It didn't even slow Sakura down. With another angry howl, Sakura raised one foot and brought it down hard. Just about everyone in the lobby cried out. It was like an earthquake hit, and then Sakura stomped on it again. JunJun watched in awe as that massive, pink armored boot came down onto the Sentinel's head and torso, shattering its faceplate. Its sallow eyes finally blew out.

But the Sentinels were getting smarter. JunJun could see more of them closing in. They were keeping their distance now, firing missiles, and then using those jet engines fixed into their chests to fire blasts of intense heat, almost like plasma. Amazingly, growing that big didn't slow Sakura down. She ducked and weaved around their barrage as best she could, with grace that even JunJun kind of envied.

Unfortunately, as wide as the street was, Sakura didn't have much room to maneuver. Even worse, more Sentinels showed up to flank her. While the ones in front kept firing, those creeping up on Sakura piled onto her, like wolves trying to bring down much larger prey.

"Oh no you don't!" Sakura cried as she reached behind her to grab one on them. She promptly hurled it away. It wound up smashing through several stories of a building across the street. But the rest were persistent, and for a moment it looked like sheer weight of numbers would bring Sakura down.

The right arm of one Sentinel holding on... Instead of a minigun, it became some sort of sword. It thrust it into Sakura's back, and she cried out in pain. JunJun's hands flew to her mouth. Were there gaps in those armored plates? How deep did the blade go? Worse, some of those missiles were hitting their mark. It looked like Sakura was about to fall to her knees.

"That's it! I'm going out there!" shouted Syaoran. JunJun saw him draw a sword and dash through the hole in the glass, ignoring all the cries telling him to stay inside. He pulled out a scrap of paper not unlike what Rei used, placing it in front of his sword. "Thunder God, answer my call!"

Lightning bolts lanced out, striking some of the Sentinels dogpiling Sakura. They didn't look particularly hurt. If Sailor Jupiter had trouble blowing these things away, no surprise this kid wasn't doing any better. He did, however, disorient some of them, letting Sakura get her second wind and chuck more off. Sakura threw one at Sentinels concentrating their fire on her, taking out a couple more.

Now some of the Sentinels were focusing on Syaoran. He used a different spell to propel himself up onto a lamppost to evade minigun fire. A missile from another one took out the lamppost's base. It tumbled down, bringing a screaming Syaoran down with it.

Before he could splatter onto the street, Sakua suddenly shouted, "WINDY!" Something whooshed down and snatched Syaoran up, bringing him up to Sakura's shoulder just as she rid herself of the last Sentinel clinging to her. Then that weird creature of pale wind rushed forward to ensnare a couple of hovering Sentinels firing at her, but there were still more.

"Syaoran, I'm going in! Watch my back!" Just as some of the Sentinels blasted her with flame jets from their chests, Sakura marched forward, raising an armored gauntlet to shield herself. Meanwhile, Syaoran clung to the back of Sakura's hood, using his magic to pelt any Sentinels trying to flank her.

Everyone in the lobby was transfixed by the battle unfolding outside. Even those soldiers, who were supposed to be trained professionals, were dumbstruck by how their job was being done for them by a 'little' girl. It wasn't long before stray bullets smashed through what was left of the glass, coaxing everyone to fall back further.

At least, most of them were. JunJun noticed that Tomoyo girl was still perilously close to the front of the lobby, using that camera to record everything. "Oh, Sakura looks so majestic from this angle!" she cooed, oblivious to the danger.

"Are you daft, girl!? Get your ass back with the others!" JunJun snarled, pulling Tomoyo back by her dress's collar. Just in time, too. Some bullets struck where Tomoyo was standing moments before.

"Well, I hate to say it, but maybe we didn't need to power up again after all," said Berthier over the rumbling of Sakura's footfalls.

"Then again, they could come in handy with something else," grumbled Koan fearfully. She pointed at that hole in the glass made by the toppled Sentinel. While those Sentinels had Sakura occupied, those mercenaries hired to round up mutants in Tokyo on trumped-up charges took the opportunity to rush in.

The troops in the employ of the Mendou conglomerate finally got to work. They opened fire on the intruders, who took cover behind statues and overturned tables. Before the mercenaries could fire back, however, that wind thing from before flew inside.

JunJun finally got a good look at it. It had the form of a pale-skinned woman with high-dressed golden hair, which swept down past a strange black headdress into two long strands. She had an aura of gentleness about her. All the same, she ensnared the mercenaries in tendrils of wind. They cried out in confusion as they were swept back outside.

Once the mercenaries were removed, the windows shook when Sakura shouted again. "SHIELD!" JunJun watched in confusion as some sort of fluid, green barrier swept across the outside of the building. Was that covering it entirely?

"Well, we're safe in here now," said Tomoyo cheerfully. "Now that that's up, nothing else will be getting through."

"How can you be so sure?" JunJun demanded. Just as she did, she looked up to see Sakura smashing a Sentinel against that barrier with her boot. It wasn't long before it was completely crushed.

"The way I understand it, the stronger her desire to protect something or someone, the more powerful the barrier," said Meiling. "So nothing is getting past unless she allows it."

Just as JunJun started to feel safe, a young man with black hair done up in a small pigtail stepped toward them. "But who knows if more of those mercenaries made it in before that barricade went up?"

The troops on their side looked sheepishly amongst themselves. Finally, the one in command said, "Well, you heard him, men! We better sweep the entire premises while those Sentinels out there are... dealt with."

As the Mendou conglomerate's troops formed up and marched out of the lobby, some of the others seemed intent on sweeping for intruders, too. "Hey Akane, you're with me," said that girl with the huge spatula to a blue-haired girl.

"And you Ranma, with me," said a middle-aged man with a bandana and glasses. "We might as well squeeze some training in out of this craziness, son."

"I could use a little action myself, since Syaoran and Kinomoto are hogging most of the fun," Meiling muttered to herself. She turned and eyed JunJun up and down. "Well, you look a bit sturdier than those other three girls you hang with. Care to back me up?"

JunJun blinked in surprise. Sure, she was game to trip up police and mercenaries days ago, yet this girl's eagerness still baffled her. "Well, uhhh, I guess..."

"C'mon, it'll be fun!" Meiling cried, grabbing JunJun's wrist. JunJun yelped in surprise as Meiling led her back into the heart of the building. "The name's Meiling Li, by the way. Came up from Hong Kong, just for this. What's yours?"

"Uh, JunJun," JunJun muttered sheepishly.

"That's it? JunJun?" Meiling asked dismissively as she dragged JunJun down a hall. Once they were halfway down it, JunJun spotted a couple of enemy mercenaries rounding the corner up ahead.

JunJun wanted to cry out to Meiling, but she was already charging at the pair. "Smoke bombs feel more like a ninja thing, but whatever," she muttered. Something slid down the sleeve of Meiling's robes. What were undoubtedly smoke pellets were now held between the fingers of her right hand. As the mercenaries raised their weapons, ordering Meiling to back off, she hurled them.

Given they had goggles and gas masks, the smoke wouldn't disorient them for long. The few seconds Meiling bought herself turned out to be more than enough. She jumped off a wall toward the closer mercenary, knocking his gun out of his hands as she latched onto his torso. JunJun, meanwhile, bum-rushed the other one before he could take aim. Given his greater mass and combat armor, JunJun knew she had little chance of overpowering him without any powers.

Meiling was a different story. Their combat armor made little difference against her. She still homed in on vulnerable spots, to devastating effect. JunJun was beyond impressed. She was a glorified acrobat, but this girl could _FIGHT_. Clearly, she was trained to bring down men twice her size.

Once he was disoriented enough, Meiling shoved him into the other one, and they both toppled. Meiling and JunJun were all over them, ripping off their helmets to pound them into submission. Over their muffled cries, however, they heard advancing footsteps. JunJun looked up to see another mercenary peeking around the corner.

Like before, Meiling was all over him before he could even blink. This time, however, the mercenary managed to throw her off, and then more arrived with rifles aimed at them. "OK, green weirdo, hands where I can see them! That goes double for you, you little Chinese brat!" ordered the one Meiling tackled.

JunJun fearfully looked over to Meiling. To her amazement, the feisty girl radiated calm as she stood up, back facing her attackers. She raised both hands, revealing grenade pins adorning the fingers of her right one. She even wiggled them teasingly.

The mercenary screamed as he tried in vain to remove his grenades. Meiling rushed at JunJun and tackled her to the ground, covering her ears. "Shut your eyes!" she cried as a blinding flash enveloped them all. Even with Meiling shielding her ears, some horrible sound rattled JunJun's skull.

"Flash-bang grenades," Meiling muttered after about a minute. "Oh boy, let's just say my equilibrium is shot for the moment..."

JunJun helped Meiling stand back up. Thanks to Meiling, she wasn't affected as badly. JunJun approached the mercenaries just around the corner, all doubled over and groaning in pain. Their gear didn't protect them from the grenades detonating that close. "Well, looks like you've bought plenty of time to recover."

Meiling ignored her, no doubt unable to hear yet thanks to the grenades. Instead, she glanced around the other corner, her eyes widening in fear. Even more of them were coming from the other direction!

"Just how many more of you pests slithered in here!?" JunJun demanded hotly.

Of course, they didn't answer, merely aiming their weapons. JunJun groaned as she raised her hands, seeing no way out.

"So this is what Japan's come to? Hiring thugs to terrorize little girls?" came a voice from behind the gaggle of mercenaries. JunJun recognized it. It was the same guy who pointed out mercenaries might have infiltrated the building, this Ranma...

"Well, no point complaining about it son. Let's do something about it!" his father cried.

The mercenaries spun around, but those two moved like liquid lightning. That guy's father swiftly overpowered the closest one before he could fire, while Ranma took care of another. His hands moved faster than the eye could follow, deftly knocking him out cold. Another one moved in to bludgeon Ranma with the butt end of his gun. But in one fluid motion, Ranma grabbed his rifle. While the mercenary held onto it, Ranma angled it at whichever ones hadn't been downed already. They frantically ducked to escape the hail of lead.

Ranma then turned to the girls. "What're you two stickin' around for!? Move it!" he cried. JunJun looked to Meiling, seeing she still hadn't quite recovered. This time, JunJun grabbed her wrist to drag her away. JunJun risked one last glance over her shoulder. Ranma launched a flying kick at the last mercenary, making his shots go wild. JunJun swore she heard his bullets break open a water pipe in the ceiling before she pulled Meiling around a corner.

After a few moments, JunJun dragged Meiling into the first open door she came across. They used the opportunity to catch their breaths. "This enough action for you!?" JunJun spat sardonically.

Meiling smirked at her. "Actually, now that the grenades' effects are fading, I'm in the mood for a little more."

JunJun glared at her, but then looked up as she heard the clicking and clacking of firearms. Another gaggle of those pests had zeroed in on them and flooded the room. "So again I ask, this enough for you?" JunJun sneered as she looked around. These bozos had them surrounded. _Too bad those two guys from before are nowhere around..._

And then, to the shock of everyone in the room, something smashed through the wall. Something huge. The closest mercenaries turned to see a snarling panda charging right for them. Then, through the hole that panda made, came this crimson bolt of lightning. This girl with clothes just like that Ranma guy, and red hair done up in the same style.

With dizzying speed, she went from one mercenary to the next, taking them out with bafflingly swift strikes. "Pops!" she suddenly cried, leaping at the panda with an outstretched hand. The panda caught it and swung her around. Her foot smashed into the faces of a few more mercenaries before the panda flung her at one of the remaining two. She wrapped her legs around his neck, then flung him at the last one standing.

The redheaded girl smiled as she examined her handiwork, then turned to JunJun and Meiling. "You two OK?" she asked.

JunJun didn't reply right away. Instead, she looked to Meiling, who was glaring down at the pummeled mercenaries with an annoyed look. "Oh, _DON'T_ go complaining about this girl and the panda hogging all the fun too!"

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The winds carried Storm toward the Ryuuzaki mansion, their howling fury echoing her own. Fury at how there was no end to these Sentinels, but some of it was with herself. It was naïve to believe destroying that other battalion of Sentinels would buy them any time. Of course Erina Kizachi would have others! Otherwise, she wouldn't have practically given the X-Men and Sailor Senshi her blessing to blow them away! As leader of the X-Men, she should have anticipated this!

But now wasn't the time for regrets. Now was the time to rectify the problem, once and for all.

Storm willed the winds to propel her faster. They did as she bid. No doubt to anyone on the ground within a three-mile radius, it would feel like a cyclone was approaching. The skies also turned dark and stormy, reflecting her mood. _Just wait until we reach this mansion,_ Storm fumed. _THEN everyone will see nature's wrath unleashed!_

Storm looked down in her arms. She had elected to carry Chibi-Moon. The girl seemed unnerved by thunder crackling all around her, but put on a face of determined calm. Storm then looked to her left. Cable buoyed himself on Storm's winds with telekinesis, letting him ride along while his bionic arm held Sailor Mercury close. The four of them had been the only ones left at the Hikawa Shrine. Everyone else was with Sailor Moon or elsewhere in Tokyo.

Another misstep as leader. She should have kept better track of everyone, in the event of an all-out Sentinel attack. According to Professor X, they were being deployed everywhere in the city, scores of them. And the bulk of them were converging on the two 'safehouses'. They needed to be secured first. Still, Storm couldn't help but wonder about the rest of their teams.

Concentrating, forcing herself to calm her troubled thoughts, she sent out a thought to Xavier. _"Professor, any word on the status of the rest of our teams?"_ she implored. _"Given the capabilities of these new Sentinels, the remainder of our number must band together, and fast."_

 _"Agreed, Ororo,"_ Xavier sent back. _"Thankfully, Wolverine has already met up with Sailor Moon's group as you wanted, while the rest of Senshi are rendezvousing with Hank and Kitty. They will be fine, Ororo. Your group must concentrate on pushing back the current wave of Sentinels here."_

 _"Understood, Professor."_ Storm felt a surge of relief, but it was short-lived, as there was another worry. _"But what about the second safehouse? Will either team be able to reach it in time?"_

There was a pause. _"What's going on over there is confusing. There is something keeping me from probing the inside of the building, but I doubt the Sentinels are responsible. However, from what I've ascertained from probing allies outside the safehouse, I'm confident it's secure. It's best to focus on this mansion. My mental power can still affect them, but it takes a good deal of time and concentration to down even one."_

 _"Hang in there, Professor,"_ Cable said telepathically. _"We can see the mansion up ahead."_

Indeed, the Ryuuzaki mansion was coming into view. It was situated near the top of a hill, a forest to its back. The dark-blue armor plating of Kizachi's Sentinels nearly let them blend into the night sky. At least a score of them were in the air, firing at something.

"Chibi-Moon, Mercury, ready yourselves. The Sentinels are already here in full force," Storm told her friends.

"I see them, Storm. Just drop me off close," Chibi-Moon spat angrily. Storm understood her eagerness, but she was young, and a bit overconfident. Chibi-Moon still didn't quite understand just how horrific these machines were.

"Not quite yet, child," said Storm. "First, let me try to distract and scatter them." Storm's eyes narrowed. The dark clouds that followed them rained lightning down. Chibi-Moon muffled a shriek as they struck some Sentinels in the back, disorienting them briefly.

It was an opening immediately seized, but not by the four of them. Storm saw a force of helicopters steadily advance on the Sentinels, opening fire. Missiles and armor-piercing bullets rained down on them.

At first, Storm was confused. The pilots of those helicopters were on _THEIR_ side? Then she remembered that some of the people Sailor Moon persuaded were part of the Mendou family, who were so rich they had a private army.

 _"It's nice to have soldiers simply following orders on our side for once,"_ Storm mused. Still, those pilots were in over their heads. These Sentinels couldn't be felled so easily by conventional means. One or two were taken out of commission, but the rest returned fire. Many managed to swerve aside and evade it, but Storm watched in horror as some missiles closed in on a pair of choppers. "NO!" Storm cried, ready to blast the missiles with lightning.

It turned out to be unnecessary. What could only be described as a flying saucer flew past the helicopters, intercepting the missiles. The craft shook violently, smoke pouring out from where the missiles struck, but it remained aloft.

"That all you got, you big bullies!?" shouted an amplified voice from inside the saucer. It was that of a boy. A mere child, far younger than Chibi-Moon! "Here, have some of this!" The saucer's path curved back toward the Sentinels, unleashing a volley of laser blasts. The helicopter pilots used that opening, too, firing again.

Still, some more help couldn't hurt. Storm decided against lightning for the moment. That had limited effectiveness even when they were immobile. This time, since they were still a distance away from the mansion, Storm summoned a tornado.

It formed right behind the line of Sentinels, far enough away to not affect the helicopters and saucer. One was instantly pulled out of the sky, caught up in the funnel. Others had to fight against the pull.

Yet again, Storm's elemental assault provided an opening. However, it wasn't the helicopter pilots or whoever was flying that saucer who seized it.

Two figures flew amidst the chaos, striking at the Sentinels. Storm watched in awe as whoever they were navigated the hail of gunfire and her tornado's pull. What could only be described as a lion with wings and some ornate coverings, flanked by a man with long, silvery hair and fanciful white robes, sporting wings of his own.

The lion reared his head back, then spat out a volley of intense flame. The winged man with him summoned jagged crystals out of thin air. He flung them at the Sentinel targeted by the lion with deadly speed. Their combined assault knocked one Sentinel into another. Both were blasted into the tornado's range and sucked up.

 _"Not that I want to get my hopes up, but it's looking like all of Sailor Moon's hired help, whoever they are, will swiftly turn the tide,"_ Cable said to Storm telepathically. _"At any rate, these people have it covered from the air, for the moment. Maybe we should get closer to the ground, get out of the crossfire and..."_

Cable's thoughts stopped when Mercury suddenly screamed. Storm turned to where she was looking at. A Sentinel was closing in on her and Cable, firing its minigun. Thankfully, Cable's telekinetic shield surrounded both of them, and held. "Mercury, use your harp! Get this one off our six!"

"B-B-But Cable, if even my strongest attack couldn't hold one of these off before..." Mercury protested.

"Just do it!" Cable barked irascibly. A watery harp then formed in Mercury's hands.

"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" Mercury cried. As tendrils of waters shot forth from the harp, they seemed to form a single column, bearing down on the advancing Sentinel like a drill. No doubt Cable was using his telekinesis in tandem with Mercury's attack. Their combination attack struck the Sentinel with thunderous force. It was blasted down toward the mansion, upturning the ground until it slammed against its front wall.

A young man with black hair wearing primarily yellow jumped over the Sentinel before it hit. He ran past where Storm and Cable landed. "That's it, you mechanical devils! Show up in force, remind me of the misery you bring! It only makes me stronger!" Storm had no idea what he was babbling about. She didn't really have the time to dwell on it, either. More Sentinels were slipping past the mansion's air defenses.

Cable looked to a downed helicopter. "Since I insisted that Hank take my weapons if something like this happened..." he began. Parts of the copter were ripped apart, and Cable telekinetically yanked out its remaining missiles and armed them.

Missiles, energy blasts and gunfire rained down on the four. Chibi-Moon's flurries of pink hearts kept any missiles from reaching them, while Cable's telekinesis held back their other attacks. He flung the armed missiles and them, and they staggered back. Mercury used Mercury Aqua Rhapsody combined with Cable's telekinesis again to drive them back further, while Storm summoned more lightning.

They were holding the line, but barely. Erina Kizachi truly had constructed Sentinels that were a frightful force to be reckoned with.

But then, it was their turn to have someone rush to their aid. That black-haired boy stepped in between them and a Sentinel charging their way, putting his hands together. It aimed its minigun down at him. Storm was about to call out to him, but she noticed a strange pink glow coming from his hands.

"Shishi Hōkōdan!" he roared. A huge blast of pinkish energy shot forth from his hands. It forced the Sentinel back, disorienting it for a moment.

"Cable!" Storm called out as she blasted that Sentinel with lightning. He understood instantly, flinging one of the last missiles at it. It drove itself into the turbine in the Sentinel's chest. That, along with Storm's lightning and whatever this boy was using, toppled the Sentinel.

But more were coming. Two more stomped forward. That strange man put himself between them and the mansion. One of the Sentinels bent down to swing at him with frightening swiftness. Quick as it was, though, this man proved far swifter. He jumped up, kicked off the Sentinel's shoulder, and launched himself at the other one. "Bakusai Tenketsu!" he snarled, thrusting a finger forward. It actually sank into the Sentinel's faceplate. Cracks spidered out across it.

 _"Wow, from my cursory scan of this kid, I had no idea the poor guy was THIS crazy,"_ Cable told the rest of them telepathically.

 _"Who is he, Nathan?"_ Storm asked. _"He is not one of the mutants spirited away here?"_

 _"Nope, but with power like that, he might as well be,"_ said Cable.

The chaos unleashed by the mansion's defenders didn't end with that man's antics. As the two X-Men and two Senshi held the line, an armored vehicle with some sort of heavy-duty cannon mounted on the back sped past. It was being driven by another young man with black hair, though it was slicked back. Yet unlike the one tackling Sentinels head-on, he had a calm, collected air about him. "Look alive, Moroboshi! We are among this mansion's last line of defense!"

The boy manning that cannon screamed as he was bounced around by the other's erratic driving. His aim wasn't that great, but his shots did hammer the Sentinels when he made his mark. Storm and Mercury took advantage of it, pelting the robots with their elemental power, forcing them back.

Storm felt she was too limited staying at ground level. "Mercury, Chibi-Moon, stick close to Cable so he can better shield you. I'm going airborne again." She rode the winds up past the mansion's roof. More soldiers from that private army were there, firing rocket launchers. But there was a purple-haired girl with them, armed with a crossbow. She fired an arrow at an incoming Sentinel. It stuck to its faceplate, then exploded with tremendous force. Storm summoned a wind to drive it away while it was stunned.

But then, she sensed someone else manipulating the winds. Glancing over her shoulder, Storm saw a short, old woman twirling some sort of cane. It generated a column of driving wind, striking down a Sentinel approaching the mansion from the back.

Turning back to the chaos in front, Storm summoned more lightning to drive back the Sentinels. She then sensed something else odd. Not all the blasts of electricity were hers. Suddenly, a girl with long, turquoise hair and a pair of short, yellow horns flew by, wearing nothing more than a tiger-striped bikini and boots. She ducked and weaved around the Sentinel's fire, then lashed out with electricity generated by her own body. It wasn't as strong as Storm's lightning, but still helped to force the Sentinels back.

Suddenly, someone rather short jumped off the mansion's roof and latched onto the flying girl's leg. He was an old, withered thing, and looked up to her with a lecherous grin. "Nice pair of legs ya got here," said the old man. "Why not put 'em to good use, and kick me over that way?"

Grimacing at him, the girl did as asked, kicking the old man toward Sentinels approaching on foot. He soared toward the one with the shattered faceplate. He pulled something out of his clothes and cried, "Happo Daikarin!" as she shoved it into those cracks. After he kicked off, it exploded with tremendous force, blowing off the Sentinel's head.

Through their combined efforts, those defending the mansion started to get the upper hand. It took nearly a half hour, but they managed to take down all the Sentinels laying siege to the mansion.

As Storm lowered herself to the ground, she wondered just how long this lull would last. There was no telling how many Sentinels Kizachi had at her disposal. This may have only been the first wave.

That lion and winged man also swooped down to the ground, along with the turquoise-haired girl. That old man and the guy who got up close and personal with the Sentinels walked up next. Lastly, that armored vehicle came to a stop near Cable and the others, and both boys climbed out.

In her time with the X-Men, Storm had seen a lot of strange things, and strange people. Still, there was something exceptionally odd about seeing all these people together, but Storm supposed it didn't matter. They all answered Sailor Moon's call, and helped hold the line against the odds.

"Well well well, look at this, Yue. Some of the X-Men finally show up after all," said the lion. Storm found herself not all that surprised to hear a lion with wings speak.

"Show a little humility, Keroberos," said the winged man aloofly, his arms folded. "These two and the two Sailor Senshi turned the tide."

"Not to mention, this X-Man is quite easy on the eyes," said the boy who manned that cannon, this Moroboshi, as he eyed Storm up and down. Somehow, he came off as more lecherous than that little old man.

"Darling..." hissed the turquoise-haired girl dangerously.

"Oh come on, Lum. You know it's a big universe out there. Don't be all surprised and jealous there's another girl who can fly and shoot lightning," Moroboshi said with a grin. Storm just blinked in confusion. But whatever went on between these two, it wasn't important.

"So what now?" asked the black-haired boy in yellow. "No way we're lucky enough for this to be all of them. There must be more coming."

"And what about the Daidouji building!?" cried Chibi-Moon. "We heard that Sentinels were attacking that, too!"

The lion snickered. "Oh don't worry about that, kiddo. Let's just say the Sentinels trying to bring that place down got a _BIG_ surprise! Ain't that right, Yue?" Keroberos asked his partner, laughing as he nudged him.

Yue snorted. "Please excuse my companion's flippancy, but he is quite correct. Our master can guarantee that no Sentinels will harm any mutants at the other safehouse. We need only worry about protecting those here."

"And just who is your master?" Cable demanded. "It's one of those two little kids, isn't it? Probably the girl."

Yue rounded on Cable, glaring daggers at him. Storm knew they didn't have time for this. But before she could interject, she heard Xavier's telepathic voice. _"Yue is correct, Storm. Daidouji's new corporate headquarters is secure. We should not waste any manpower there, but rather let Kizachi waste Sentinels attacking it in vain. Now that you four have helped fend off this wave, you need to regroup with the others. Sailor Mars and Sailor Uranus seem to have an idea where Kizachi may be found. Return to the city and join them."_

 _"Are you sure that's wise, Professor?"_ Storm asked. _"This first wave was barely beaten back. If we leave them, the mansion's defenders may not succeed against a second."_

 _"I will help coordinate them, and keep using my power to fell whatever Sentinels I can,"_ said Xavier reassuringly. _"What's important now is reaching Erina Kizachi and stopping these Sentinels at their source. Until she's dealt with, this conflict will not end. Please trust me, Ororo. The X-Men and Sailor Senshi are needed elsewhere."_

It was many moments before Storm relented. _"Very well, Professor. Good luck to you, to all of you."_ Turning back to the others, she said, "I'm afraid the four of us must go. We have a lead on where these Sentinels are coming from, and thus a possible means of shutting down what's controlling them. Do you believe you can hold out here until we can?"

Some of the mansion's defenders looked to Storm dubiously. Others, however, beamed with confidence. "Never fear," said Keroberos. "Our master ordered us to protect this mansion, no matter what. We won't disappoint her."

"Well, whatever's comin' is comin'," said Moroboshi. He then swiped keys from the one with slicked-back hair. "And this time, _I'M_ driving," he grumbled, ignoring his angry glare.

"And it's comin' sooner than you think, kiddo!" cried the old man, pointing to something on the horizon. "If you X-peeps and Senshi want out of here, I suggest you fly out now."

Storm looked to the next wave of Sentinels, and nodded. She scooped up Chibi-Moon, while Cable grabbed hold of Mercury. They levitated themselves straight up. Storm saw the wave drawing even closer. "If we must leave you, as least I can help soften up this next wave," she called down to their allies. Concentrating, Storm built up another cyclone. Wind and lightning hammered the approaching Sentinels, and then she created more tornadoes a few hundred feet out.

"Hey, watch the precipitation!" came a shout from below. Storm looked down to see the black-haired boy in yellow had pulled out a red umbrella to shield himself from the rain.

Then Storm saw Lum flutter up to her. "Storm, hit me with some lightning!" she implored. "I could use a recharge..."

Storm hesitated for a moment, but then nodded. Bolts of lightning shot down from the clouds, striking Lum. It wasn't long before Lum's body glowed with a fierce, iridescent aura.

"Oh yeah, now I'm ready!" Lum cried out, flying ahead. That flying saucer moved in to cover her flank, and more of those helicopters flew in to engage the Sentinels that slipped through.

Storm felt like a coward, leaving them to fend off those monsters. She suspected the other three hated doing this as well. But Xavier was right. Their best hope for ending this madness was to strike at the heart of the matter. She and Cable flew away while the others engaged the Sentinels, determined to do just that.

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A stray missile detonated near Sailor Moon and Wolverine, blasting them off the roof of a three-story building. Travelling across rooftops was the quickest way to get to this strange 'resonance' Mars sensed. Thankfully, Wolverine was more than capable of keeping up. But they usually couldn't get very far before Sentinels arrived and forced them back down to the street. This was the third time they had done so.

Sailor Moon screamed as she went over the edge of the roof. She stopped, though, when Wolverine pulled her close with one hand. He popped the claws on the other. They dug into the brick wall as they fell, slowing their descent. "Sailor Moon, get ready to hit 'em hard once we touch down!" Wolverine shouted over the approaching roar of the Sentinels' jet engines.

Sailor Moon could only nod, the ordeal of the last half-hour weighing on her. They dispatched those first two Sentinels easily enough. After that, they started attacking in greater numbers. Not only that, even Sailor Moon could tell they were fighting smarter, adapting to their strategies.

The two of them dropped down onto a sidewalk just as two more Sentinels landed nearby. Lots of pedestrians were screaming, frantically trying to get clear, while cars swerved wildly to avoid hitting that Sentinel. Because of that, Sailor Moon waited a moment to let her tiara fly. It struck at the vulnerable area on its neck. She let loose just in time; its minigun was already aimed at them.

It kept driving forward like a blazing, magical buzzsaw, giving Wolverine an opening. He charged forward with claws at the ready, snarling like an animal. Meanwhile, Sailor Moon produced her kaleidoscope and used Moon Gorgeous Meditation on the other. Her attack enveloped the Sentinel right before it could fire, but it just wasn't as effective on machines as on creatures like the Lemures.

 _At least I'm holding these two back, for now,_ Sailor Moon thought worriedly. _Are the others having any better luck?_ Sailor Moon risked a glance away from the Sentinels. The rest of their team had been forced down from the buildings earlier.

As she feared, the Sentinels were adapting to their strategy of targeting vulnerable joint areas. Artemis and Luna took cover as Tuxedo Kamen, Mars and Uranus engaged another pair of Sentinels. Uranus caught one unawares, toppling it with World Shaking the instant it touched down, but that would only buy a few seconds.

Meanwhile. Mars tried zeroing in on weak spots with Burning Mandala again, but the other Sentinel used that jet engine in its chest to swiftly skirt out of the way. It fired off its minigun as it did so. Both Mars and Tuxedo Kamen were forced to duck aside. Bullets ripped through abandoned cars and the windows of a nearby building. Sailor Moon hoped no one was hiding in there. Tuxedo Kamen then sank a few roses into its faceplate, leaving it a cracked mess, but it hardly seemed to slow it down.

Sailor Moon fired some repulsor blasts to distract it as her friends regrouped for another assault, then turned back to the Sentinels she was facing. Between willing her tiara to keep drilling into one weak spot after another, she kept it distracted long enough for Wolverine to do what he did best. He left the tip of its minigun a mangled mess. Sailor Moon fired repulsor blasts up at it, her tiara drove itself into the back of the Sentinel's knee. Meanwhile, Wolverine swiftly clawed his way up to its neck. He slashed and hacked at where her tiara had already dug deep. The Sentinel's eyes began to flicker.

"Wolverine, we're getting the upper hand!" Sailor Moon cried, daring to hope.

"Don't get complacent now, kid!" Wolverine howled as he clawed his way deeper. "Don't let your concentration slip!"

Wolverine's warning came too late. Sailor Moon never used her power quite like this, beating back two different enemies with two separate attacks. Moon Gorgeous Meditation looked to be breaking apart that Sentinel's armor, but it still wasn't enough. And with her concentration lapsing due to exhaustion and anxiety, it forced its way forward, raising its left arm.

That massive, mechanical fist shot forward, its entire arm extending. "Yikes!" cried Sailor Moon, forced to cease her attack and jump back. Worse, her tiara was running out of juice and had to be recalled.

The Sentinel's fist slammed into the street a few meters away. Worse, something opened up on its forearm, perhaps to fire missiles at point-blank range. Howling, Wolverine jumped down from the other Sentinel and sank its claws into that extended arm. His claws severed it before those weapons could fire.

Unfortunately, as mangled as the first Sentinel already was, plenty of its other weapons were still intact. Suddenly, it tried something new. Sailor Moon meant to fire a repulsor blast into its sliced-open neck, hoping that would bring this one down too. Before she could get a bead on it, a massive column of white-hot plasma shot out from its turbine.

"Look out, Sailor Moon!" Wolverine cried, jumping down toward her. He tackled her just in time, and they rolled clear of that plasma. Unfortunately, the other Sentinel still had a functioning minigun, and fired.

Sailor Moon felt like several sledgehammers slammed into her back, and Wolverine couldn't stifle a scream as some bullets ripped through him. They separated and looked up at the two approaching Sentinels. Both of them sank to one knee, wobbly and feeling weak. Wolverine glared up at them with a defiance she didn't share. Still, she forced down her fear. She reached for her tiara while readying a repulsor blast. But that minigun was revving up, and the other Sentinel was readying another burst of plasma...

But just before they could fire, Sailor Moon heard a girl scream, "Flame Arrow!"

A huge stream of fire shot down from the building's roof. The plasma the Sentinel spewed went wild, cutting a swath across the street. Sailor Moon and Wolverine got to their feet just as the other fired off its minigun. They ducked aside, and Sailor Moon forced it back with some repulsor blasts. "Good thing Sailor Mars had our backs, huh?" Wolverine growled.

Sailor Moon blinked in surprise, realizing something was wrong. "Hang on... That's _NOT_ one of Mars's attacks! Besides, she's over there!" Sailor Moon risked another glance over at her friends. Mars was using Fire Soul to force back one of those plasma attacks. Meanwhile, Uranus and Tuxedo Kamen scattered as a Sentinel punched down at them, its fist sinking into the street.

Wolverine looked back to the Sentinels, confused. "Then who the hell just..." he began, but then a figure dropped down from the building's roof.

It was definitely a girl, with bright red hair done up in a long braid. She sported some sort of black suit not unlike the X-Men's uniforms. Over it, there was some sort of glistening, white armored chest plate with shoulder pauldrons. She also sported knee-high white boots, some sort of armband that covered her entire right forearm, and some strange fingerless glove on her left hand. Even from down below, Sailor Moon could see a strange, red orb on the back of it, glistening in the moonlight.

She landed on the shoulder of the Sentinel that Wolverine and Sailor Moon made a point of eviscerating. First, she turned to the other Sentinel and screamed, "Ruby Lightning!" Which was exactly what she blasted it with. Thanks to Moon Gorgeous Meditation and those repulsor blasts, its armor was weakened enough for this girl's attack to punch through and topple it. Then the girl somehow pulled a huge sword out of that red jewel on her glove!

Her sword sliced into the side of the Sentinel's head, and she didn't let up. Like a girl possessed, she kept hacking away, wailing as her sword cut into its polymer armor like a hot knife through butter. "Wow, that kid could teach _ME_ a thing or two 'bout evisceratin' everything in sight," said Wolverine. The Sentinel reached up to grab the girl, but she was far too agile. She swung down and sliced into the gaping gash Wolverine and Sailor Moon made before, finishing their job. "Whoever she is, she's got this covered. C'mon, let's go help the others."

Sailor Moon nodded, and the two dashed across the street. But Sailor Moon's heart sank upon seeing a Sentinel kick Uranus down the street. She only stopped when she collided with an abandoned bus. Her screams mingled with the sound of shattering glass and crunching metal.

Mars and Tuxedo Kamen dropped down between Uranus and the two advancing Sentinels. But they already had their miniguns revved up and aimed, and Sailor Moon couldn't do anything in time. " _NO!_ " she cried out as they fired.

But another girl cried out at the same time with something else: "Winds of Protection!"

Suddenly, swirling green mist surrounded the bus and Sailor Moon's friends. It seemed to swallow up the Sentinels' gunfire.

One of the Sentinels took to the air, perhaps to better scout for whoever was responsible. But it was pulled back down to Earth when yet another girl screamed, "Oh you're not getting away! Water Dragon!"

From out of nowhere, a smirking serpent composed of water shot up and ensnared the Sentinel, like a snake constricting its prey. It was slammed down onto the street with a thunderous crash, the dragon biting onto its head. Just as that barrier around the bus faded, there was a cry of "Winds of Admonishment!" Now the other Sentinel was immobilized by some swirling, emerald wisps of wind.

"Sailor Moon, this is our chance! We can finish them off!" Sailor Moon looked back in the direction of the girl's voice. The Sentinel's head tumbled down onto the street just as the girl made a three-point landing. "Come on, let 'em have it! Ruby Lightning!"

Crimson lightning tore into the Sentinel ensnared by that wind. Setting aside her confusion, Sailor Moon cut loose with Moon Gorgeous Meditation. Their combined might was too much for it. Its armor cracked apart as its systems shorted out. Meanwhile, Mars Flame Sniper and Space Sword Blaster, once again aimed with precision, tore into the other Sentinel's neck, letting that watery beast rip its head clean off.

Sailor Moon just stared at the Sentinels' ruined carcasses, not knowing what to think. The rest of the Senshi and X-Men were occupied elsewhere, and just about all the mutants in and around Tokyo were in the two safehouses. So who could've...

"Wow, this is great! I actually got to fight beside my idol and kick some serious Sentinel butt!" Sailor Moon turned to the redheaded girl, who was running in place with fangirlish glee. She didn't just have a black suit like the X-Men. It _WAS_ a replica of an X-Man's uniform! Between that and the black gunk covering her face, it was clear who she also stood in solidarity with.

Thanks to the gunk, though, it took a moment for Sailor Moon to remember where she saw her before. That girl who was so excited to see Sailor Moon! Hikaru was her name, right? Uranus said she sensed great power within her. Well, Uranus was certainly right about that!

That sword of hers disappeared back into her glove's jewel. She rushed at Sailor Moon to hug her. "I'm sorry it took us so long to catch up with you, Sailor Moon! We've got your backs now!"

Sailor Moon looked over to Wolverine in confusion. He could only shrug his shoulders. Then, something clicked in Sailor Moon's head. "Hang on, wasn't there more than one of you? Where are..."

"Yes, there are three of us, Sailor Moon," came a kindly voice. While still writhing in Hikaru's glompy hug, Sailor Moon turned to see that girl with short, sandy-blond hair and glasses walk up. Just like Hikaru, she wore some strange armored covering over an X-Man uniform, and covered her face in black goo. The spherical jewels on her glove and in her armor, however, were a deep emerald green.

Sailor Moon also remembered her from that police station raid. "So, that's how you carried that big sword in there. And you had wind powers back there, too."

Fuu simply nodded, but then turned to Wolverine. She immediately gasped. "Oh no, you've been shot! Hang on, I can remedy that in an instant!"

Though he still looked wobbly, Wolverine raised a hand. "Don't bother, darlin'. My big power is basically not dyin'. If you got healing magic or somethin', use it on Sailor Uranus over there."

Fuu still looked concerned, but nodded and walked over to Uranus. She now knelt, still reeling with pain, as Tuxedo Kamen and Mars stood beside her. Just as Sailor Moon finally convinced Hikaru to let her go, she could see the air around Fuu's hands sparkle. "Winds of Healing!" she cried. More emerald mist swirled around Uranus. Unlike the winds that held the Sentinel prisoner, these were gentle and inviting.

Soon enough, Uranus could stand again without difficulty. "So... that's what you did before," Uranus muttered. She sounded unsure if she was impressed or envious of Fuu's wind magic.

"Oh yeah, Fuu's got herself quite a versatile moveset. All us Magic Knights do, if I say so myself," came another voice. The last of that trio, the one with long blue hair, strode up to them. She kicked aside some Sentinel parts strewn about after what must've been her watery serpent bit its head off. Just like the other two, she wore that strange armor over an X-Man's uniform, black goop slathered on her face.

Fuu scowled at her. "Now's not the time to be boastful, Umi."

"Well, we _DID_ just save all of them from getting shredded into hamburger," Umi pointed out. "Not our fault the hotheaded Senshi over here didn't have firepower like Hikaru's to take these overgrown kabuki dolls out."

Mars looked ready to explode. "What was that!?" she demanded. "You three were just lucky those Sentinels were distracted. We had to tackle them head-on, while you just stabbed them in the back!"

" _HEY!_ Show a little respect, Sparky!" Umi spat. "We're out here covering the asses those short skirts barely do, while my home is under siege by those things! Right now, I have to rely on strangers to protect it and my family! I think a little gratitude is in order!"

Umi and Mars got in each other's faces, growling and glaring daggers at each other. Sailor Moon could only watch in amazement. "Uhh, Hikaru, right? Is your friend always like that?"

"Uh, she can be... abrasive at times," Hikaru admitted. "What about yours?"

"Oh yeah, a lot of the time," said Sailor Moon. "I just can't believe she's found someone who rubs her the wrong way worse than I do."

"In any case, they need to break it up!" came Luna's voice suddenly. Sailor Moon turned to see her and Artemis walking out from underneath the bus. "More of those Sentinels could show up any second!"

Umi finally looked away from Mars and stared at the two cats. "Hmmm, talking cats. Way easier to communicate with than that rabbit-eared bag of marshmallow back in Cephiro, that's for sure."

"And they're right, Umi," said Fuu, pointing down the direction the Senshi had come. "I can see more of these Sentinels moving in already."

"Ugh, they just keep coming!" Mars snarled. "At this rate, we'll never reach where Erina Kizachi is controlling them from!"

"You know who made these things, and where they're coming from?" asked Hikaru.

"We got a lead, kiddo. And right now, we got nothin' else to act on," sad Wolverine.

"Then it looks like you Senshi are gonna owe us double," said Umi. "We can hold those jokers here while you make a break for it."

Sailor Moon turned to Umi, horrified. But Umi had already pulled a sword from her own glove-jewel: a rapier with the wings of a dragon for crossguards. Fuu and Hikaru likewise drew their own weapons.

"Wait, that's suicide! We can't just leave you three to..." Sailor Moon began, but Wolverine put a hand on her shoulder.

"Sailor Moon, we've got to let them try," Wolverine whispered, resignation and sorrow in his voice. "These three got magic moves better suited for hunkerin' down, not to mention pullin' Sentinels outta the air. You heard Charlie's telepathic message: get to whatever it was Mars and Uranus sensed, pronto. If these three can hold the line, we might finally slip away and do it."

Tears filled Sailor Moon's eyes. "B-B-B-But Wolverine... These three, these... Magic Knights... They're doing this because they actually believe in me! I can't use them like pawns on a chessboard to..."

"You're not makin' the choice. They are, and they're the same age as you. If you can choose to wage this war, so can they," said Wolverine. "And like you told me, you already knew it was all-out war. Well, I'm sorry to tell you that there's hard choices to make in a war."

Sailor Moon still wanted to protest, but Tuxedo Kamen walked up. "I'm sorry, Sailor Moon, but Wolverine's right. We're not asking the Magic Knights to do this, they are volunteering. And they've already shown they have the power and skill to pull this off."

Sailor Moon looked from Tuxedo Kamen to Wolverine and back. She shut her eyes, tears still streaming out of them, before looking back to the Magic Knights. "You sure you three will be OK?"

"Oh yeah, Sailor Moon!" Hikaru cried confidently. "We've had plenty of experience taking down huge uglies like these!"

"Though it's unfortunate that while our magic now works on Earth, we cannot summon our Mashin," Fuu said regretfully.

"Big deal, we'll manage," said Umi. "Besides, it's more fun this way!"

"Sailor Moon we've got to go! The Sentinels are almost upon us!" cried Artemis.

Sailor Moon looked to the Magic Knights one last time before turning back to her friends and nodding. She scooped up Luna and Artemis before jumping on top of the bus, then jumped to the roof of a nearby two-story building. The rest of the Senshi followed suit, while Wolverine used his claws to scale the building.

She couldn't help but look back upon hearing cries of "Water Dragon!" and "Winds of Admonishment!" The Magic Knights descended on the Sentinels, blades at the ready, once they were dragged down to the street. Fighting back tears, Sailor Moon faced forward, hoping those three could hold out until they pulled the plug on Erina Kizachi.

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Concerning. Deeply concerning. Professor Xavier's instructions were clear: he and Shadowcat were to work with the remaining Sailor Senshi, fight past any Sentinels, and rendezvous with the other groups. Beast's task was simple and straightforward. Yet from his calculations, there was a high probability things could go downhill fast.

For the moment, though, the Senshi on their team were proving up to the task. It had been a bit of a gamble days ago, sending some of the X-Men away, banking on the Senshi's power and expertise to fill the void. Though this was the first time Sailor Venus and Sailor Neptune faced Sentinels, they weren't shying away in the least. The two of them were down at street level, and their Crescent Beam and Submarine Reflection attacks stopped the one advancing on them cold.

For a moment, at least. Their barrage chipped away at its chassis, but the Sentinel took aim with its minigun. Right before it could fire, Lockheed dove in and spat some flame at its face. It couldn't penetrate that plexiglass, of course, but it bought a couple more seconds for another Senshi to act.

Sailor Jupiter stood with Beast and Shadowcat, looking down from the roof of a three-story building. "Get clear, Lockheed! The sparks are about to fly! Supreme Thunder Dragon!" The maw of that serpentine conjuring of hers clamped down onto the Sentinel's torso, twisting and tearing at it.

At last, the Senshi's combined efforts saw to it that the Sentinel was blasted and ripped apart. But it was a minor, almost meaningless victory. Somehow, Erina Kizachi had constructed many more of these monstrosities. Hundreds, perhaps thousands. More would follow, and soon.

"Yeah! Eat it!" Jupiter cried from the rooftops. "These things aren't so tough, not when there's enough of us to hit them from all sides at once!"

Beast sighed, wishing that he couldn't see through Jupiter's bravado so easily. It was clear that her first encounter with a Sentinel rattled her, and she wasn't pleased about facing more. If this helped keep her courage up, Beast was fine with it. But he was concerned she could get careless.

"So far, that appears true, Sailor Jupiter," said Beast. "But given Kizachi's proficiency with AI programming, it's inevitable that her Sentinels will swiftly adapt to our tactics. We had best be prepared for that eventuality."

Jupiter glared at him with a sour look. Jupiter also hadn't quite gotten over that fight with both him and Shadowcat. Though they had all put their differences aside, the humiliation from their first few encounters clearly still stung. It saddened Beast a little. Why did some resentment still have to linger?

"You'd best listen to him, Jupiter. Hank's been fighting these things from the moment they rolled off the assembly line," said Shadowcat. "Besides, we've already got another one inbound!" Shadowcat pointed up, and they saw a Sentinel descending toward the other side of the building. It would take a moment for Venus and Neptune to loop around and engage. "Hank, fastball special... NOW!"

"What's a... fastball special?" Jupiter asked, confused. She got a demonstration when the Sentinel levitated itself down, about twenty feet above the building's roof. Its minigun revved up. Beast grabbed Shadowcat's ankles, span around, and threw her up at it.

Beast and Jupiter scattered to avoid its fire, while the bullets passed harmlessly through Shadowcat. And Beast made sure she had enough upward momentum to reach the Sentinel's head. As hoped, the Sentinel's systems shorted out once she phased through it. It ceased firing as it convulsed in midair.

"Nice double-team Blue, but Kizachi's probably planned for that too. It'll reboot its systems any second. Luckily, I don't need a fastball special," scoffed Jupiter. And she was right. With one bound, Jupiter soared up close enough to the Sentinel, just as its systems stabilized. "Oh no, you're not getting a moment's breath. Sparkling Wide Pressure!" she screamed, hurling her attack into a weak spot in its neck at point-blank range.

That disoriented it again while Neptune and Venus got into position. A double-whammy on that same vulnerable spot, with Venus Love-and-Beauty Shock and Submarine Reflection, brought that Sentinel down as well.

"Yeah, another one eats asphalt!" Venus cried out from below.

Beast peered over the roof to where the Sentinel fell. It was badly damaged, convulsing, but Beast suspected it had self-repair systems. Still, they couldn't waste any more time with it. Reaching the place Mars and Uranus suspected Kizachi was hiding was vital. "It's down, but not out," Beast spoke into his communicator pip. "It may yet soon recover, if more of its brethren don't arrive first."

"Then let's keep moving, before more of these spoilsports show!" cried Venus.

Beast shook his head as he bounded across the street to another rooftop. He was scarcely any older than these girls when the original X-Men faced Trask's Sentinels. Even after barely thwarting Juggernaut some time before, they felt confident about their chances, and that led to mistakes that nearly cost them everything. He fervently hoped these girls wouldn't see history repeat itself.

Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Shadowcat running down on air, clutching Jupiter. Soon enough, Jupiter was running and jumping beside Beast. Shadowcat simply ran across gaps after them, while Neptune and Venus stuck to the streets. Lockheed once again served as an advance scout, flying ahead to spot any Sentinels moving in.

It wasn't long before the little dragon flew back, growling and spitting. "Ugh, these things just keep coming!" Jupiter spat. Her antenna popped back out, crackling with a fury that mirrored her own.

Beast was feeling quite frustrated himself. Bad enough these Sentinels were a persistent impediment. He was also simply not comfortable with assuming a leadership role of sorts. Shadowcat, naturally, was looking to him for guidance, and the Senshi were willing to listen to him, as he faced Sentinels many times before. And some doubt nagged at him. Now, more than ever, he understood why Professor X made Scott their leader instead of him.

 _Not to mention, even my intellect can only carry us so far,_ Beast mused. _Oh, perhaps it was also shortsighted in the extreme to send Rogue and Colossus back so soon. My strength matters little against these monstrosities, yet theirs would surely turn the tide in our favor._

And as far as Beast knew, only one mutant left in Japan had strength like that: Naru Osaka. Of course, Xavier scoffed at the notion of having her fight Sentinels. Right then, however, Beast wouldn't object to the girl lending a hand. If only they could have reached Naru before despair and bitterness consumed her.

That also vexed Beast to no end. He felt he, Shadowcat and Wolverine did everything right, nudging the girl down the right path. Surely, Naru could be influenced by fellow mutants who spoke her language and understood her culture. But all their work was undone by Magneto and Kizachi's scheming.

A low growl escaped Beast's throat. Hopefully, after Beast saw Kizachi pay for her misdeeds and this madness was over, they would have another chance to make Naru see the light.

That was the most vexing thing of all. Beast considered himself a scientist first and foremost. A teacher and mentor to many who stepped into Xavier's school. Those were the roles he preferred. But time and again, he found himself drawn onto the battlefield.

He reached for the rifle Cable insisted he take. Simply holding such a weapon personified his vexation. Peering through the scope, he spotted the Sentinels coming in fast. He pressed a thumb onto the pip on his collar. "Five more, coming right for us!" Beast cried. "Venus, Neptune, be prepared to employ hit and run tactics! That's too many to stand your ground against!"

Beast kept looking through the scope, holding his fire. There was limited ammunition, and Beast had a bad feeling he'd need to save it for whatever awaited after they reached the rendezvous.

Thankfully, the Senshi had firepower to spare. He heard Venus shout, "Crescent Beam Shower!" as the Sentinels closed in. Many of her scattered shots hit their mark, and then Jupiter joined in with Jupiter Oak Evolution. But they were barely slowed down by their initial volley. These Sentinels were just constructed too well to be easy conquests, and they were learning fast.

Missiles aimed at the roof Beast, Jupiter and Shadowcat stood on forced them to scatter. One Sentinel hovered close to the roof, aiming its minigun. Beast heard a cry of "Deep Submerge!" Suddenly, energized seawater engulfed its head, paralyzing it for a moment. Seeing his opening, Beast charged with a roar. He leapt off the roof, onto the Sentinel's shoulder. He pulled out one of the grenades fashioned for the launcher on Cable's weapon. With his strength, he was able to shove it between the lighter armor plating around its neck.

Unfortunately, Beast miscalculated badly. He didn't afford himself enough time to jump free before it detonated. His feet barely left its shoulder before it did. Beast could feel his fur getting singed. He landed hard through the windshield of a van.

"Urgh, looks like even my calculations can be off," Beast grumbled, blinking to clear his vision. He heard whoever was in that van clamber out, along with the shouts of civilians fleeing in terror. Beast was then greeted by the sight of another Sentinel stomping down the street, right toward him. Instead of aiming its minigun, Beast saw the insides of that chest-mounted turbine glow white-hot. "Oh dear," he muttered.

A column of white-hot plasma shot down at Beast. Thankfully, Neptune threw herself in its path and screamed, "Submarine Reflection!" Her watery blast countered the barrage, pushing it back for the moment. But Beast saw Neptune take tepid steps back, beginning to buckle under the strain. "A little assistance would be appreciated, McCoy!" she snarled.

"Fair flowers, bright waterfalls and angel wings," Beast recited, arming the grenade launcher. "And sound alone that from the spirit sprang, bore burthen to the charm the maiden sang." Taking aim, Beast fired a grenade at its vulnerable neck joint, and then another.

It was enough to make it falter, and the Sentinel ceased its plasma attack. But the one Beast fervently hoped had its head blown off sauntered up behind it, minigun at the ready. Neptune turned to aim her mirror at the other Sentinel, but it fired before she could.

Microseconds before those bullets would've ripped through them, Beast felt himself being tackled and thrust away from its line of fire. The next thing he knew, he and Neptune were standing at the other end of the street. Beast's head was reeling, and Neptune seemed out of breath. "What in... what just..." she managed to get out.

"I thought the X-Men and Sailor Senshi were more competent than this," came a haughty voice. Some of the civilians had fled to this side of the street, but this voice came from in front of them. Beast and Neptune looked down to see a somewhat short man with spiky black hair standing there, his back to them. He paid them no mind, instead glaring up at the Sentinels now turning toward them. "Hmph, purely mechanical beings," he snorted disdainfully. "So my Jagen eye by itself is useless. Thankfully, I have other techniques at my disposal."

Their mysterious rescuer removed some cloth wrappings around his right arm. Suddenly, dark energy crackled around his body. But this was nothing like Eclipse's power. Hers was simply a phenomenon generated by her own body. _THIS_ dark power... Beast typically didn't think in such terms, but this had an aura of evil to it. As if it was brought forth from the darkest depths imaginable.

"Dragon of the Darkness Flame!" he shouted. Some sort of swirling mass of liquid, tinged a soul-sucking black, shot out at the closer Sentinel. Beast glimpsed the head of a serpent formed from that darkness, right before it engulfed the Sentinel. It was frozen in its tracks, that rippling, ravenous darkness washing over it, breaking down its armor.

"Here's our chance, Beast!" cried Neptune, raising her mirror again. Beast loaded up more grenades and took aim just as she shouted, "Submarine Reflection!"

That all-consuming darkness had already weakened its armor to such a degree, their attacks finally punched through. The Sentinel toppled, but the other one was still approaching, and took aim. But then something wrapped around its minigun. Beast squinted for a better look. It was some sort of whip, resembling the thorny stem of a rose.

He then saw a boy with long red hair on the ground, wielding that whip. Suddenly, the whip grew like out-of-control vines, going deep into the minigun and rendering it immobile. Yet another boy then made his move. A lanky fellow ran up the other boy's rose whip, up the Sentinel's arm, straight for its head.

"Suck on this!" cried the lanky boy. Suddenly, some sort of glowing spear formed in his hands. It pierced through the spot Beast's grenade detonated, penetrating deep up into its head. Whatever the boy thrust into it, it expanded in its head. Glowing, spiky protrusions erupted from within.

Its sallow eyes blew out, and it toppled moments later. The lanky boy jumped clear with a yelp, while the red-haired boy looked on stoically as the Sentinel fell.

The short one who drew upon that otherworldly darkness didn't pause, however. "That wasn't all of them, in case you've forgotten." Beast wasn't sure if he was addressing his comrades, or Neptune and him. "No doubt those other Senshi are otherwise occupied with them. I'll go on ahead, draw their attention away and give all of you a chance to counterattack."

He drew a couple of swords and dashed around the corner of the building Beast had been on. He was no Quicksilver, but his speed was astonishing nonetheless.

"You must forgive Hiei," said the red-haired boy as the four of them ran after him. "He tends to be a bit aloof, cynical even."

"In short, Kurama, a complete asshole," the lanky boy chimed in.

"An asshole we can rely on nevertheless, Kuwabara," the red-haired boy admonished. This Kuwabara snorted, but said nothing else.

"But he isn't quite human, same as you," Neptune snapped. "Just who are you people, anyway?"

"People who answered your boss's call and got somethin' to contribute, that's all," said Kuwabara aloofly.

They rounded the corner, where the others were engaging the Sentinels. Jupiter used Sparkling Wide Pressure on one of them, but this time her aim was off, striking its faceplate instead. It still staggered back a little, giving Hiei an opening. He leaped onto its shoulder and began hacking away. Those swords of his actually penetrated quite deep. Unfortunately, one of the other Sentinels blasted Hiei off with a stun blast. Hiei hit the asphalt hard, and the Sentinel raised a foot to stomp him flat. It brought its foot down, but Beast saw Shadowcat dive for him first.

"You'll pay for that!" Kuwabara roared. He formed another spear with that strange energy and hurled it at the Sentinel's head. Again, it staggered back, and to his astonishment, when the Sentinel lifted its foot, Hiei and Shadowcat were crouching there unharmed. Hiei looked down at himself, bewildered, then looked to Shadowcat, eyes still wide with confusion.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but these suckers are gettin' on my nerves," came the voice of another boy, one brimming with confidence. "C'mon ladies, once more with feeling."

Beast saw a boy with slicked-back black hair step up, flanked by Venus and Jupiter. He pointed his index finger up at Hiei's would-be killer. It suddenly glowed white-hot, and a massive blast of energy shot out. That, launched in tandem with Venus Love-and-Beauty Shock and Supreme Thunder, blew the Sentinel's head off.

"Impressive, but we still have two more to deal with, Yusuke," said Kurama. "I have an idea, though. Beast, Sailor Venus, Hiei, it will require all of you working in unison..."

Beast had no idea who these boys were, and if Neptune was right, some of them harbored rather dark secrets. Yet it was clear which side they were on. So in the few seconds they had before the remaining Sentinels were upon them, he listened to Kurama's plan.

Lockheed swooped in, spewing bursts of flame to distract the two Sentinels as long as he could. That, along with the use of Jupiter Oak Evolution and shots from Cable's rifle, bought them all the time they needed. Kurama's rose whip and Venus's Venus Love-Me Chain wrapped around their lower legs, binding them together. Jupiter, Beast and Hiei then took hold of their bindings, and pulled with all their might.

Their combined strength was just enough to make the Sentinels topple backward. Just before they hit the ground, Kurama drove a shoot of bamboo into the asphalt. Huge shoots of bamboo erupted from the street, impaling the Sentinels as they came crashing down. Then more of those brambles sprouted within them, wreaking further havoc.

Silence fell over everyone as the dust settled and the Sentinels stopped writhing. Beast held Cable's rifle at the ready as he slowly stepped forward. Experience taught him to never assume a Sentinel was really down. Thankfully, the mammoth machines did not stir, even if the brambles did. Sighing, Beast turned to Kurama and said, "An impressive display of this power over plants, and quite an ingenious stratagem."

Kurama flashed a small smile. "Thank you. Coming from the fabled Dr. McCoy, that is quite a compliment indeed."

"So now that we've all bought each other a little breathin' space, mind tellin' us just what the deal is with these Sentinels? And what you Senshi and X-Men plan to do about them?" Yusuke demanded suddenly.

Neptune glowered at him. "You're not the only one who would like some answers. I've known for some time that two of your number are not even human. I thought little of it since Sailor Moon insisted we needed all the help we could yet. But after seeing such displays of power... Just who are all of you?"

Yusuke regarded Neptune carefully for a moment. "We're just detectives on the beat," he said simply, shrugging his shoulders. "Spirit Detectives, to be precise."

"Our superiors agreed with us that we should stay abreast of this situation, even though there is nothing supernatural at its roots," said Kurama.

Beast had a feeling pursuing this further would be fruitless. Besides, it was also unnecessary. These... 'Spirit Detectives' bought them precious time. They had to make the most of it before more Sentinels arrived. "Going back to Yusuke's question, we are on our way to rendezvous with the other X-Men and Sailor Senshi. Sailor Mars believes she has pinpointed where these Sentinels were deployed from, and thus from where they're being controlled."

"So it's a mad dash to bust in there and shut 'em down," said Kuwabara.

"And they'd better dash, now," said Hiei. "This little dragon of yours that just flew back... I get the sense he's warning us of more Sentinels inbound." Beast gazed down the street, and sure enough, more of Kizachi's killing machines were closing in.

"Awwww, looks like we'll have to cover their escape," said Yusuke. "Too bad. Slugging it out back-to-back with the Sailor Senshi is somethin' I always wanted to do. They're quite easy on the eyes..."

That was when Beast heard a yelp from Jupiter. Turning back, he glimpsed Yusuke kneeling to lift up her skirt. Jupiter clocked him so hard, he was knocked flat on his ass. A normal boy would be out for hours, at the very least. Yusuke, however, looked quite amused with himself, laughing as he rubbed his face.

"If you're quite done making a fool of yourself, Urameshi, any ideas about what to do next?" Hiei scoffed.

Yusuke chuckled as he stood back up. Looking to Kurama, he said, "Hey Kurama, it's a lot to ask, but think you can welcome those Sentinels to the jungle? Y'know, to die?"

"Yusuke, you... Actually, that's a good idea," Hiei admitted.

Kurama gazed toward the Sentinels fast approaching. "It's a tall order, but I believe I can manage."

"That's the cue for you X-Men and Senshi to bug out," said Kuwabara. He conjured two swords from that same glowing energy. "We'll hold those things here, give you a chance to get clear."

"Besides, these things must pay for literally trying to stomp me out," added Hiei. Beast then saw a glowing third eye open on his forehead. No doubt this 'Jagen Eye' he mentioned earlier.

"Well, thanks guys," said Venus. "Try not to get yourself killed."

Yusuke smiled at her. "Oh, the stories I could tell you girls..."

All of the Senshi and X-Men made it to the roof of another building and restarted their trek to whatever it was that Mars sensed. After making it another block, Beast risked a glance back. As Kurama promised, it was like he created a mini-jungle in the middle of that street. Tall trees shot up to block the Sentinels' advance, and then thorny vines ensnared them. Flashes of bright light went off within those trees, no doubt Kuwabara and Yusuke giving it their all. Beast looked ahead, determined to give this mission his all, and get those Sentinels' off those boys' backs.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sailor Moon had no idea what they'd find following Mars and Uranus's lead. She certainly hadn't expected it would take them into this creepy forest on the outskirts of the Juban district. Some fog lingered along the ground. Though the moon was nearly full, tall trees kept most of the moonlight out. Given that, Sailor Moon was glad Wolverine took point. With his hearing and nose, Wolverine would give them advance warning of anything fishy. At least, that was what Sailor Moon hoped.

Compared to their mad dash through the city in between Sentinel attacks, their pace through this forest was maddeningly slow. Wolverine often stopped to listen and sniff the air before motioning for the Senshi to move on. Nothing had attacked them since entering this forest. They seemed to be quite alone.

Yet that only made Sailor Moon _MORE_ fearful. She expected this place to be crawling with Sentinels. Any second now, one would emerge from behind a tree to shoot them, Sailor Moon was sure of it. But it didn't happen. Nothing but eerie silence greeted them, and it was driving Sailor Moon mad. At least back in the city, the insanity kept Sailor Moon's mind occupied, focused. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, she couldn't help but dwell on everything that had happened.

 _It finally happened, the Sentinels were let loose,_ Sailor Moon mused. _Too many for even the Sailor Senshi to deal with. Oh, I hope those Magic Knights can hold out! And what about the other Senshi and X-Men!? Weren't they ordered to rendezvous with us? Where are they?_

She got her answer when a sudden, stiff breeze blew away some of that fog. Looking up, Sailor Moon had to squint to see Storm lowering herself down, her black uniform camouflaging her in the forest's gloomy darkness. She landed gracefully, turning around to reveal Chibi-Moon being held close. Cable landed with Mercury a moment later.

"You guys made it!" Sailor Moon cried, running up to them. "Oh, with all the Sentinels attacking, we were afraid some of you, well..."

"Worry not, Sailor Moon. We prevailed, as you did, obviously," said Storm. "More importantly, we aided the... defenders of the Ryuuzaki mansion against the first wave, buying them time to prepare for the second."

"You had help, too?" Mars asked. "We got an assist from some... mutual friends as well."

"Our group, in addition, received some unexpected aid in the proverbial nick of time," came Beast's voice from the foggy depths of the forest. Everyone turned to see Beast and Shadowcat emerging from that fog, followed closely by Venus, Neptune and Jupiter.

Then there was a loud snort. Shadowcat turned as Lockheed flew from the direction Sailor Moon's group was heading. She offered her arm as a perch for the little dragon. "Sounds like Lockheed found something up ahead. He didn't spot any Sentinels, though. Weird. Did your group already eviscerate the ones in this forest, Sailor Moon?"

"We ain't seen a single one since traipsin' in here, Kitty," said Wolverine. "No tracks, no signs of fire from their miniguns, nothin'. Creepiest damn thing."

"Can we be sure this 'resonance' Mars picked up on has anything to do with Kizachi, then?" asked Chibi-Moon. "Maybe it was just something to lure us away."

"No. Lockheed just found something, remember?" said Luna. "Now that everyone's finally together, we should move in."

"I hear you, Luna. We need to do this before the luck of those... detectives runs out," said Shadowcat.

"You and Beast got some help, right?" asked Sailor Moon, curious. "Who were they?"

"They weren't exactly forthcoming with answers," grumbled Neptune.

"Still, I am super-jealous of you right now, Sailor Moon," said Shadowcat. "Most of the time it's like pulling teeth back West, getting help from other superheroes when the X-Men really need it. A few words from you on TV, and it's like every superpowered non-mutant in Japan comes out of the woodwork."

Sailor Moon didn't know how to reply to that. She had no idea what to expect after the Sailor Senshi pulled that stunt. She certainly hadn't dared hope for this much outpouring of support, let alone the emergence of people with such power flocking to her side.

She looked in the direction Lockheed flew back from. There was something hidden in this forest. Mars, Uranus and Lockheed couldn't all be wrong. "Well, it sounds like everyone else who's fighting because I convinced them too are counting on us," said Sailor Moon.

"Agreed. If Erina Kizachi's base of operations is in here, we must find it," said Storm.

And so, Storm now took point with Wolverine, flying slightly ahead. Beast leaped up into the trees, keeping a watchful eye as the rest advanced on foot. All the while, Mercury kept her visor up, scanning the area, as did Cable with his bionic eye. He drew a handgun and held it at the ready as they moved through the forest.

With the full strength of both teams now assembled, Sailor Moon realized she should feel safer. But the eerie ambience of this forest, the darkness and silence shrouding the unknown, still filled her with unease.

It took a few more minutes to find what Lockheed spotted. There, in the middle of this creepy forest, was some sort of mansion. But it looked like it was abandoned. The windows looked fogged up, some broken, and ivy had crept up many of the walls.

" _THIS_ is where the Sentinels launched from!?" Jupiter cried incredulously. "Definitely not what I expected. Doesn't exactly scream Kizachi's taste in architecture."

"Kizachi's secondary site must be underground, then. Just like the place you guys trashed," said Artemis.

"Yet this strange resonance is coming from the mansion itself," said Mars.

"Well, we won't find any answers standin' out here jabberin'," said Wolverine gruffly. "If there's an entrance to whatever's hidden underground, it's probably in there."

Somehow, Wolverine's words restored a bit of Sailor Moon's confidence. "So let's not waste any more time," said Sailor Moon. "We all had to leave behind people still fighting Sentinels, right? Let's do something with the time they bought us!"

"You're the boss," said Wolverine as he walked up the steps. His claws were still out. He used them to make short work of the double door's locks, then kicked them open.

Sailor Moon followed close behind, stepping into what looked like the cathedral of a church. Yet just like the forest outside, it had this eerie vibe to it.

Outside, Storm issued orders to the others. "Cable, Mercury, Mars, Neptune, let's follow them in. Between the four of you and Wolverine, we can uncover whatever secrets are hidden in this mansion's main hall. The rest of you, split into two teams to investigate the mansion's two wings."

"Ummm, excuse me, but we Senshi still take our orders from the princess, not..." Uranus began.

"Just do it, Uranus!" Sailor Moon shouted back. "Storm's been at this longer than any of us."

Sailor Moon swore she could hear Uranus's grumbling, but thankfully, neither she nor anyone else voiced any other objections. Sighing, Sailor Moon strode up to Wolverine. He had already made it halfway down the main hall. Their footsteps kicked up clouds of dust. "That nose of yours pick up anything yet?" she asked him.

She didn't expect him to, so she was surprised by Wolverine's answer. "Actually, I am gettin' faint traces of Kizachi's scent. She's definitely been here, but I can't quite tell how long ago."

"It may still be a dead-end, then," said Cable. "I've completed two sweeps with my bionic eye, but I'm not detecting anything funny down below. Let alone any entrances into an underground lair."

"Sadly, it's the same story with my visor," said Mercury. "Whatever Kizachi's built around here, it's shielded quite well."

"No luck with my Deep Aqua Mirror, either," added Neptune. "Is it possible this was a blind after all?"

"I'm starting to think so," said Mars. "The resonance is stronger than ever, and I'm starting to sense its focal point to be slightly beneath us. But I'm still not sure what to make of it. Kizachi's studied us for over a year, right? It could be something to draw us away from the conflict, using our skills against us."

"Oh, I'm flattered you realize I'm quite capable of that, Rei Hino," came a chilling voice from nowhere. "But no, I made no efforts to throw you Senshi or the X-Men off the scent. Why bother? It was only a matter of time before I would face your collective wrath. I fervently hoped it would be here. On my terms, on my turf."

Sailor Moon's gaze swept all over the main hall, trying to spot the madwoman who conspired against her for so long. Her eye caught the appearance of something white right behind Wolverine. There was also the twinkle of light reflected off dark lenses.

"Logan, behind you!" she cried out. Sailor Moon hadn't even finished her warning before Wolverine whirled around, slashing at the figure. Erina Kizachi flickered, and the claws passed through her, her whole body dissolving like mist.

Kizachi reappeared close to Mars, strolling past her. "I'm not quite sure how you tracked me down, though, Hino. I didn't leave a trail of bread crumbs or anything. I didn't feel the need. It was only a matter of time before I would be found here. And I've been ready." That projection dissolved away, just as another one appeared close to Cable and Neptune. "You two are clearly itching for a confrontation. Shall we begin, or was there anything you wanted to know before this finally ends?" she asked in a singsong voice, walking past the pair.

Both of them looked ready to lunge at Kizachi, useless as that would be. It was Mars who answered her. "Just what is this place, and what is it you have here that's resonating with the mansion's evil aura?"

Kizachi stared at her a moment before her projection vanished, only to reappear near Sailor Moon. Despite knowing this Kizachi was just a hologram, Sailor Moon felt queasy. Kizachi wasn't looking at her as she strode leisurely, and maybe it was the darkness, but Kizachi actually looked confused. "I'm not quite sure about the latter. Could it be, does the artifact really..." But Kizachi shook her head, banishing whatever thoughts troubled her. "In any case, that's not important. If I brought you to me by accident, so be it. As for the former, I'm surprised you haven't figured it out, Hino. This place... You, Tsukino and Mizuno had to deal with the ramifications of what happened here many, many times."

"What are you talking about?" Mercury demanded. "What's so special about this place?"

"Your scans have revealed nothing as well?" Kizachi asked, sounding surprised. She disappeared, then reappeared right behind Mercury. She refused to show fear, standing her ground, but Sailor Moon could tell the roboticist was beginning to unnerve Mercury. "I thought better of the Senshi's capabilities. Surely, if your visor elucidated the truth behind Eclipse's power, it must reveal how this mansion was connected to Masato Sanjoin."

"You mean that joker Nephrite?" growled Wolverine. "What's he got to do with this place?"

Kizachi smiled evilly. "It was here, through studying the movement of heavenly bodies, that Beryl's minion selected targets for energy collection. Which included me."

" _YOU_ were targeted by Nephrite!?" Sailor Moon demanded, horrified. "We never knew, never... How did you survive?"

Kizachi snorted. "You're not the only one with a... storied family lineage, Tsukino," she said elusively before vanishing again. She reappeared in the center of the hall. "The important thing is that I thwarted his ploy, and decided to investigate further. I began learning about you and the Senshi long before the Makai Tree decimated my condo as a result. So when Nephrite met his end, dying in Osaka's arms, I knew I had witnessed something significant. At the time, I didn't know what, but I kept an eye on your friend nonetheless. How fortunate that I did. I detected the presence of an X-gene in Osaka long before her mutant powers emerged."

Kizachi paused for a moment, looking around the mansion's main hall. "And this place... How fitting it ends here, everything coming full-circle. Nephrite's youma fueled my obsession with perfection, and he commissioned me to create Sentinels for his own use. His plan failed, but it birthed the designs for this current breed of Sentinels. And they've launched from his most important piece of property, bought up after his demise."

"And as a further bit of revenge, you ruined the life of the girl Nephrite gave his life to protect," spat Storm. "Vengeance against Nephrite, against Sailor Moon, against the yakuza, everyone who ever wronged you in your eyes. You seem to believe your actions serve a greater good, yet a thirst for petty revenge taints everything."

Kizachi stared at Storm for a moment, then shook her head, sighing. "I expected something like that from one of the Senshi, but I was hoping for something a little more intelligent from you, Munroe."

"What do you mean?" Storm demanded.

Kizachi's projection vanished once again, then reappeared to make it look like she just walked into the main hall. "Maybe if Aino was with you right now, she'd ask the obvious questions. There's no shortage of supervillains connected to you 'heroes' over in the West that I could have partnered with. Victor von Doom, the Mandarin, Norman Osborn, the Leader, even that arrogant sod Loki... So ask yourself: Why choose Erik Lehnsherr, when my biggest achievement was perfecting the weapon meant to slaughter his kind? Why him?"

"You already said you knew Naru is a mutant before she did," said Sailor Moon. "And you wanted to use her against me. Who better than someone who fancies himself as a savior to mutants everywhere?"

"Ahhh, quite true Tsukino, quite true," said Kizachi airily. Kizachi's projection wasn't looking at her, so hopefully she wouldn't see her casting quick, furtive glances at Cable and Mercury. They shook their heads slightly. Still no luck pinpointing the source of these projections, or a pathway down to her. "But there's far more to it than that. The truth is, I approached Lehnsherr because I came to share his vision. Yes, despite being a mere _Homo sapien_ at the end of the day, I now know Lehnsherr is right."

"So you would see him slaughter millions of your own kind, if it suited him?" Storm snarled. "As if your thirst for vengeance wasn't sickening enough."

"I care nothing for my fellow humans anymore. Not since I lost Erika," said Kizachi calmly.

"Has the loss of your daughter caused you so much pain, it's driven out what humanity you had?" Storm went on, incredulous.

Finally, something broke through that veneer of calm. Her projection had walked quite close to Storm, and rounded on her. "Don't any of you get it, Munroe!? My daughter was _ONE OF YOU!_ "

Silence fell upon the hall as Kizachi's words sank in. Sailor Moon stared at Kizachi's projection, mouth agape. Eventually, words came out. "Y-Y-Y-You mean, your daughter, s-s-s-she was actually..."

"A mutant, Tsukino?" Kizachi finished for her. "Yes. My only child, one of _Homo superior_! But I didn't learn of it until the day the Makai Tree grew out of control. The official report says that Erika died due to that, but that's not the whole story. Erika tried using the powers she kept hidden to save people caught up in the chaos. No doubt she wanted to emulate her hero, Sailor Moon. But she never got a chance to practice using that power, not like the X-Men do. She couldn't really control it, and _THAT'S_ what did her in, right before my very eyes!"

"So that's what you meant by not believing Sailor Moon was the direct cause of your daughter's death," said Storm. "Still, this doesn't explain your mad quest for revenge against her."

"Doesn't it, Munroe!?" Kizachi shrieked. "Like I said, Erika kept her power locked away. Even as Erika was dying, I saw the shame in her eyes. She was _MORTIFIED_ about being a mutant! She must have been terrified I'd found out one day, that it would bring shame upon our family! Nothing could've been further from the truth. My daughter, part of the next phase of human evolution!? It would have been an honor! And she died in my arms before I could even give her that peace of mind!"

Kizachi's projection rounded on Sailor Moon. Even with those dark lenses hiding her eyes, Sailor Moon felt the weight of that hateful stare. "And this is where your failure lies, Tsukino! Wasn't the family of the Moon Kingdom supposed to guide humanity, to encourage them to better themselves!? Yet beneath the surface, our society and culture have the same flaws on display elsewhere. From the outside, it looks like we tolerate mutants, especially when compared to countries like the United States. But Erika's death made it abundantly clear how they are still shunned, encouraged to keep their power submerged, lest they bring shame."

Sailor Moon couldn't believe what she was hearing. Bad enough to learn someone died because her blunder at the Juban Odyssey that day. But Kizachi not only blamed her, but their society as a whole? And that anger drove her to do all this? Despite everything she had done, Sailor Moon felt pity. To harbor that much hate and pain...

"Kizachi, I am so, so sorry about what happened to your daughter," Sailor Moon finally got out, tears in her eyes. "And if I could go back and change what happened that day, I would. But why do all this? Why bring Japan to the brink of being torn apart? It won't bring Erika back."

"No, but it'll make you and our entire country face a reckoning," Kizachi spat back coldly. "You're supposed to be Princess Serenity, heir to the Moon Kingdom. Reborn to usher in a new golden age for humanity? Feh! No, it seems you think you just blow away some monster every other week, and your work is done. While children like my daughter suffer in silence, fearing shame. You're supposed to show humans a better path, show them the virtues of love and justice! Instead, Erika buried her secret, and never had an opportunity to learn control. So when it came time to use it, it meant her death.

"From that point on, my only reason for living was to make you pay for that oversight, but my options were limited. After observing you so long, I knew it was useless to threaten your family, or use any of the Senshi against you. You're always claiming your bonds of friendship are too strong, Tsukino, and you're right. So I took away everything else. Turn Naru Osaka against you, have your heart ripped out due to your negligence. And then rob you of the country you thought you knew. It didn't take much to rip away that veneer of tolerance, did it? Now you see the ugliness in the hearts of all those you fought to protect. When all is said and done, it's my fellow humans here in Japan that will have to hang their heads in shame! Sentinels on the march, the vote done in secret! But their collective hypocrisy is now laid bare for all the world to see!"

"S-S-S-So, this is what you meant by a fire rising," Sailor Moon said, her voice trembling. "Y-Y-You're really willing to let Japan be torn apart, just to teach me and all the humans a lesson?"

"You are so full of shit," Wolverine snapped, making Kizachi turn to him. "You claim you care about us mutants? This was your solution, your way of honoring your daughter's memory? Make even deadlier Sentinels? Make it so mutant children all over Japan have to live in terror?"

Kizachi shook her head. "You'd think someone who's been around for over a century could see the big picture!" she scoffed. "Weren't you listening? The whole point was to show Japan's mutants that nowhere is safe. Now that they see that, Lehnsherr has everything he needs. Plenty of mutants in this country will flock to him, and what's happened in Japan can be used to convince those in other nations!"

Kizachi turned back to Sailor Moon. "You had your chance, Princess Serenity. A chance to make your message of love and justice a reality. Now Magneto will come and fill that void! If I had to lose my daughter because of you, at least I'll have the satisfaction of seeing Magneto build a world where your vision is stamped out! One where Erika would have been safe, on top of the food chain!"

"You're forgetting about us! We'll never let Magneto win!" came a voice from the walls on the left. Sailor Moon turned to see Shadowcat phasing through it, Lockheed perched on her shoulder. Tuxedo Kamen and Venus walked through the wall with Shadowcat, holding her hands, while Chibi-Moon rode piggyback on the former. "You're so wrong, Kizachi. Sailor Moon stepped up before Magneto could, and got people to step up and protect mutants. This country is in turmoil, but it's because plenty aren't buying what you're selling, and they never will!"

Everyone then turned when something smashed through the doors on the adjacent wall. Beast stepped through with Jupiter, Uranus and the cats. "Indubitably, it seems the phrase 'Better late than never' applies here, Erina Kizachi," said Beast. "Sailor Moon has indeed appealed to her countrymen's better angels, and thousands upon thousands answered the call. Mutants in Japan now know terror, and have seen the ugly side of human nature, but they've seen much more as well. Things you still refuse to see."

"And that refusal also ties into a glaring tactical oversight," added Storm. "Sailor Moon wound up recruiting allies capable of beating back your Sentinels. They're still doing so as we speak. The Sailor Senshi and X-Men aren't alone in this fight."

Kizachi regarded them all coldly for a moment. "Looks to me, however, that none of your new allies are here. Which suits me just fine. Let them fend off my Sentinels. Win or lose, the damage is done, even if you lot are too naïve to see it. In the meantime... Summers, Mizuno, you need not bother scanning for an entrance anymore. I'm done hiding. Besides, it's always best to come to your enemy on your own terms..."

The projection faded. The instant it hid, the entire mansion began to shake. It shook so violently, wooden boards from the roof fell to the floor below. "Yeow!" wailed Sailor Moon, barely ducking aside to avoid being pinned by one.

More rained down as cracks formed in the walls and windows shattered. Cable conjured a telekinetic barrier above them to shield everyone. "Everyone back outside, now!" Cable cried. "Move! Move!"

There were no objections. Everyone clambered for the front entrance as the quaking got worse. Sailor Moon was one of the last to make it there. She heard the floorboards crack apart just before she would have rushed outside. Risking a glance over her shoulder, she saw something emerge from the floor. It looked like the head of one of Kizachi's Sentinels, only much bigger. And it still had those sallow eyes that shriveled your soul...

Shrieking, Sailor Moon finally rushed outside with the others, just as Nephrite's secret mansion collapsed in on itself. It kicked up a huge cloud of dirt and debris, which mingled with that creepy fog. At first, nothing could be seen within that plume of dirt, except for those glowing eyes from whatever it was.

And then, the thing the plume obscured rose, revealing the biggest, bulkiest, and scariest Sentinel that Sailor Moon had ever seen, though it had a slightly feminine shape. It had to be pushing forty meters tall at the very least, taller than some of these trees! The moon was at its back, and at that monstrous thing rose, it slowly cast a shadow over them all. Glancing to her left, Sailor Moon saw Mars and Neptune looking up, eyes wide with fear and disbelief.

Some of the X-Men themselves echoed this. "Oh no no no no no, Kizachi went and did it," grumbled Shadowcat. "She went and made her own damn Mastermold!"

"What's... a Mastermold!?" Chibi-Moon cried out fearfully.

"Simply put, a titanic Sentinel that can mass-produce other Sentinels," said Beast. "If nothing else, this explains why Kizachi was willing to sacrifice the other Sentinels. And how she swiftly constructed so many new ones after the initial trial run."

The colossal abomination took a step forward. The ground quaked, coaxing everyone to fall back further. Now that Mastermold stepped out of that cloud it kicked up, Sailor Moon could see more of it. It also had one of those huge jet turbines in its chest, and two things like trap doors on either side of its belly, possibly something to do with assembling its 'children'. But what caught Sailor Moon's eyes was something right above the turbine, hovering under its neck. A small outcropping like a bubble. It was a glass barrier, and inside was Erina Kizachi, sitting in some sort of cockpit.

She smirked evilly down at the Sailor Senshi and X-Men. In place of her glasses, now she wore some sort of dark visor. Kizachi fastened some weird, pinkish, glowing diamond-shaped apparatus with wires attached right below her neck, then grabbed two control sticks and thrust them forward. Mastermold lurched forward again, forcing them even further back.

"End of the line for one of us, Sailor Moon!" Kizachi taunted, her voice booming from Mastermold. "You've had a perfect record against 'bad guys' like me so far. But as they say, you miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take! In hindsight, it's not much of a surprise that Naru Osaka's betrayal and Japan falling into chaos couldn't break you. So I'll settle for grinding your corpse underfoot!"

Words failed Sailor Moon. How were they supposed to fight _THIS_!? But just as despair threatened to overwhelm her, Sailor Moon felt something. A gentle probing, in the back of her mind.

 _"Hang in there, Sailor Moon."_ It was Cable's voice, speaking telepathically. _"This time, I have a good reason to be poking inside your head."_

"Wait a minute, when did you..." Sailor Moon began. But then, strange sensations flooded into her mind. No, not quite sensations, but feelings and thoughts not her own. It took Sailor Moon a moment to realize what was happening. Uranus told her the X-Men gave them a pounding due to how Cable kept all their minds linked up. And now, he was extending that link to the Sailor Senshi.

No longer fearful, Sailor Moon stopped resisting and let Cable do his thing. Through his link, more of the essences of the X-Men seeped into her psyche. It was indescribable, this intimate connection to all of them. It proved once and for all how she was right to seek them out, even if they had no easy answers.

Wolverine's courage and refusal to yield. Beast's gentleness of spirit, love of knowledge and care for his students. Cable's determination, and his struggle to balance the importance of his mission with the needs of his charges. Shadowcat's boisterous spirit and love for her friends. Storm's nobility, inner beauty and sense of duty to her team. All of this flooded into Sailor Moon, the X-Men lending their strength to her own.

More importantly, she felt the minds of her fellow Sailor Senshi touch hers. All those she had fought side-by-side with, now they were connected more deeply than ever before. Mars's fiery spirit, Jupiter's unyielding resolve, Mercury's calm thoughtfulness, Venus's sense of justice, Tuxedo Kamen's undying commitment to her, and Chibi-Moon's boundless love for everyone... Sailor Moon could feel it all, touching her soul like never before. She even felt Artemis and Luna's minds link up with her own.

But Sailor Moon could feel Uranus and Neptune trying to resist the link. Furious, she sent out her thoughts. _"Uranus, Neptune, stop fighting it and let Cable link you up! If Mastermold is gonna go down, it'll be because we're ALL working together! This is how we'll do it!"_

She caught flashes of their irritation and reluctance, but the Outer Senshi did as ordered. In a flash, she understood their fears and horrors, driving them to do what they did against the Death Busters. But that was in the past. They were all together now. One group, one purpose.

Her fears banished, Sailor Moon produced her kaleidoscope and pointed it up at Kizachi's cockpit. "Alright Erina Kizachi, in the name of the Moon and mutants everywhere... We'll punish you!"

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The inspiration for the finer details of the scene where Mastermold emerges? Believe it or not, the creation of the Mega-Kaiju from _Pacific Rim Uprising_. _Rampage_ and _Jurassic Park 5_ were pretty damn dumb, but I loved seeing another Pacific Rim in theatres, and **GODDAMN** that part where those three kaiju fused together gave me the chills. The steam and smoke obscuring everything, the eerie music and sounds, holy crap. It really delivered the feeling of 'Oh shit...' that I wanted to convey here. Another advantage to waiting this long to write this, I guess.

But all these scenes... Yep, been kicking around in my head for over a decade. All this time, I knew this chapter would damn well near kill me, with the overabundance of extra crossover characters to work with. But it had to be done. This was the payoff from throwing them all in in the first place, and it showed Sailor Moon's true power: to inspire. Even though I started watching _Sailor Moon_ long after it first hit the airwaves, that touched me deeply. And this story is all about showing what it is about Sailor Moon that impressed me.

So long,

Grey-X


	32. To Stand United

**Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse**

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 32: To Stand United

7-24-2018

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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The plume of dirt and debris had faded to nothing now, revealing Erina Kizachi's Mastermold in all its terrible glory. It stared down at the Sailor Senshi and X-Men, as did its creator from her cockpit. Considering how tough the Sentinels this thing popped out were, Sailor Moon didn't want to think of the horrors their 'mother' could unleash. Normally, Sailor Moon's first instinct would be to panic. Thanks to Cable's telepathic linkup, however, those fears were now easier to control. Their fears, their worries, it was all easier to deal with when shared, lending strength to each other. Instead, Sailor Moon could focus on bringing this abomination down.

 _"OK, now that I've delivered the usual bravado, just HOW do we punish her!?"_ Sailor Moon sent out through the link. _"Maybe if you X-Men distract her along with the Outer Senshi, the rest of us can power up the Sailor Planet Attack and..."_

 _"That's a negative, Sailor Moon,"_ was Cable's swift reply. _"Not only might that armor be too resilient for even that, but Kizachi'll be expecting it. We must assume she'll have countermeasures. Same goes for the Ginzuishou, and we won't risk a tactic that drains your life force just yet."_

 _"Cable is right, Usagi. As willing as Kizachi seems to die in battle here, she is clearly in it to win it. We must whittle down Kizachi's defenses before employing such risky moves,"_ Storm added.

 _"I'm running scans on Mastermold now! Hopefully between Cable and I, we'll find weak spots!"_ came Mercury's thoughts through the link. She didn't sound as comfortable about using the link as Sailor Moon did. Sailor Moon could even sense some lingering reluctance from the other Inner Senshi, not just Uranus and Neptune.

Despite that, the information from Mercury's visor came through. Sailor Moon saw the overhead display through her eyes. She always suspected what came up on it would be unintelligible gobbledygook to her. Yet she could process it all in an instant. Mercury's expertise, along with Beast, Shadowcat and Cable's, was lent to all of them. _"And here I thought getting a telepathic language crash course was a big deal."_

 _"I knew you were itching to ask Xavier for that, you meathead,"_ came Mars's snippy interjection.

Sailor Moon's face fell. This linkup had disadvantages, too. _"Save it, Rei! Looks like hitting the more lightly-armored joints won't hurt the big bad mama as much as it does the little Sentinels."_

 _"Still, it's our best option to buy time to piece together a better plan, and let Mercury's computer crunch the data,"_ Wolverine cut in.

 _"Agreed, Logan,"_ said Storm. _"Besides, we're out of time. Kizachi is making her move!"_

Sailor Moon looked up to the cockpit to see Kizachi punch something into her console. Immediately, that turbine roared to life.

Storm and Cable sent out commands to scatter, but Sailor Moon didn't need any urging. A column of plasma shot down, drilling into the ground as it cast a glow throughout the forest. The X-Men and Senshi swiftly scattered as it swept the forest floor, threatening to start an out-of-control blaze. Sailor Moon wailed as she leaped out of the way. She thought she was in the clear, but the others' thoughts warned her in time. Sailor Moon looked up, jumping backward as Mastermold's left arm extended, its fist shooting down fast, making the forest quake when it hit.

The turbine revved up for another blast. Raising her left hand, she willed the Ginzuishou to let her Iron Man part siphon power. She fired repulsor blasts into the open turbine as she leapt back further. The others joined in. From a vantage point in the trees, Beast fired grenades from Cable's weapon into it. They struck along with shots from Deep Submerge, Pink Sugar Heart Attack and Venus Love-and-Beauty Shock. Finally, Mastermold was driven back a little when Cable uprooted a tree with his telekinesis. He thrust it into the turbine like a javelin. The turbine sputtered a little, powering down and closing.

 _"Minor damage to the turbine unit, but scans reveal self-repair systems are already working on it!"_ came Mercury's panicked thoughts. _"I'm not sure how much time we just bought!"_

 _"Then let's not waste whatever reprieve we've earned,"_ replied Storm. Sailor Moon could sense her willing the elements to do her bidding. It was so unlike the power the Senshi wielded, but there was no disputing the results. She kicked up a tornado to drive Mastermold back, buying them more time. _"As expected, Kizachi planned for this. Mastermold's feet can help anchor it to the ground, and it is far too massive. We're going with the plan of hitting Mastermold from all sides, targeting areas with lighter armor. Everyone, use the time I'm buying to scatter and surround Mastermold. Senshi, take a cue from Hank, get to the trees for clearer shots! Sailor Mercury, Shadowcat, any luck with breaking into Mastermold's systems in the meantime?"_

 _"Afraid not, Ororo. Kizachi must've planned for me trying that, too,"_ said Shadowcat. _"She must've come up with a slightly different programming language for Mastermold. What Umino showed us won't do us any good, at least not right away. Ami and I would need a little time, and that bitch won't be giving us any."_

As if to emphasize that point, Mastermold forced its way past Storm's tornado. Then, swiveling miniguns emerged from the sides of its thighs and above its shoulders. Kizachi cut loose with them, along with a blaster mounted in Mastermold's left palm.

But Storm had succeeded in buying them enough time. Furthermore, Luna and Artemis put their links to the rapport to good use. Though they could only watch as fire from those miniguns rained down on their friends, it gave the X-Men and Senshi enough advance warning to stay one step ahead.

Senshi dashed through the trees, staying ahead of the rain on gunfire. "Mars Flame Sniper!" cried Mars. Her blazing arrow smashed into Mastermold's left wrist. Some sparks flew from it, and the glow from that palm-mounted blaster flickered.

"Sparkling Wide Pressure!" roared Jupiter. She leaped from branch to branch on Mastermold's right flank, her attack striking the minigun on its thigh. Electricity crackled over it, and for a moment, it stopped firing. Even when it resumed fire, it didn't seem to target them as effectively as before.

Hope, however slight it was, rose in Sailor Moon's heart as they kept up the hit and run attacks. She would pause on a branch, just long enough to fire off repulsor blasts before Mastermold's targeting systems could lock on. There were so many of them, launching attacks at Mastermold from all directions, Kizachi's task was made much more difficult, if not impossible.

Still, Mastermold advanced. It smashed through trees left and right, whittling down the places Senshi could jump to. None of this slowed the fury of their onslaught.

By now, Storm was able to formulate a full-fledged cyclone again. Driving winds buffeted Mastermold as lightning rained down upon it, striking the shoulder-mounted miniguns. As before, it only stopped them for a moment before resuming fire.

Meanwhile, Cable kicked up dirt from the forest floor, which was swept up in Storm's winds. Even while focusing on hitting and running, Sailor Moon understood what Cable was getting at, thanks to his link. He hoped the winds would drive that dirt into the miniguns' moving parts, jam them up.

It soon became apparent that those miniguns were constructed with that in mind. Sailor Moon could sense Cable's frustration as they kept firing at the Senshi, as bullets ricocheted off his telekinetic shield. "Munroe, Summers... Nice try!" Kizachi's amplified voice bellowed. "But I planned for that eventuality! Thanks to Lehnsherr, I have all the intel I needed to safeguard this Mastermold from the X-Men as well as the Sailor Senshi!"

 _"Good thing I had a backup plan in case the ploy with the dirt failed,"_ Cable said through the link.

Storm's winds and the dirt they kicked up, along with the constant barrage from the Senshi, provided cover so the others could jump on. Tuxedo Kamen and Beast landed on Mastermold's right shoulder. Tuxedo Kamen jammed his cane deep into the minigun apparatus. Given how it was unbreakable, Beast could use it to try prying it apart. Uranus landed on its other shoulder, unleashing World Shaking at point-blank range at that minigun. Wolverine, meanwhile, went right for the source of their problems. He used his claws to work his way over to the bubble shielding Kizachi's cockpit.

"There's a certain celestial body my claws need to dish out pain in the name of, didn't ya hear?" Wolverine snarled as he tried to slice his way inside. Though his adamantium claws could penetrate that weird glass, it was still too tough and dense for him to cut too deeply.

Through the link, Sailor Moon caught glimpses of Kizachi gazing up at Wolverine with an amused look. That grin of hers made Sailor Moon shiver. _"Wolverine, get off! She's up to something!"_

Her warning came too late. Scalding steam sprayed out around the cockpit. Wolverine would recover from that in seconds, but it still caused him a great deal of pain, pain that Sailor Moon could feel. Not only that, Kizachi triggered a power surge around the shoulder-mounted miniguns, electrocuting Beast, Tuxedo Kamen and Uranus. Then, Sailor Moon could only watch as Mastermold's torso spun around with enough force to fling all four off.

Beast and Uranus were flung forward, but Cable caught them with his telekinesis. Sailor Moon couldn't see where Tuxedo Kamen went, but through the link, knew Jupiter caught him. Wolverine smashed through quite a few branches and landed hard. In fact, through the link, he told the Senshi not to bother with him. He would recover swiftly enough. They all had to press the attack.

And that's exactly what they did. The Senshi kept dashing from tree to tree, using hit-and-run tactics. Using their attacks to whittle away at the weaker armor around Mastermold's joints and carve away its exposed weapons.

With the cyclone raging overhead, Storm had an easy way to join in. Sailor Moon saw that the minigun Tuxedo Kamen and Beast attacked looked slightly out of place, sparking. Another lightning bolt struck it, and now it sparked even more, possibly put out of commission. Soon after that, tendrils from Mercury Aqua Rhapsody smashed into the one on Mastermold's right thigh, just as Sailor Moon's tiara sliced into its base. That one began to smoke and spark as well.

"You're luckier than you know, Senshi," boomed Kizachi's voice. "My tactical computers were just about to compensate for your hit-and-run tactics. But since you've temporarily deprived me of my right side's miniguns, it's only fitting I deprive you of something."

Sailor Moon didn't like the sound of that. She liked the sound of Mastermold's right arm shifting and transforming even less. But instead of a really big minigun, it turned into a huge bladed disk. It began to spin with dizzying speed, like a sawblade. Mastermold reared it back, then flung its right arm forward. That huge spinning blade suddenly detached, flung forward to swing around like a whip, as if attached to some huge cord. It sliced through all the trees a good fifty meters or so in front of Mastermold. It swung that blade again, taking out trees at its right, robbing the Senshi of cover, and a means to strike quickly and retreat.

Parts of butchered trees flew everywhere, and Sailor Moon was flung to the ground. She skidded a good distance, spitting out dirt and leaves when she finally stopped and stood up on wobbly legs. Sailor Moon could sense a lot of pain and annoyance through the link, and was grateful for that. She had been more afraid of something... just stopping, not sensing someone.

The next thing Sailor Moon sensed was panic. Turning around, Sailor Moon saw why. That huge spinning blade was coming for her, fast. "Waaaaaah!" Sailor Moon shrieked, frozen to the spot.

But suddenly, the blade stopped, hovering a few meters or so in front of her. She blinked in surprise, but thanks the link, Sailor Moon understood what happened. She could sense Cable overexerting himself, using his telekinesis to hold Mastermold's weapon in place. _"Everyone, now's your chance!"_ he implored through the link. _"This thing won't stay put forever!"_

The others swiftly got the hint. A lightning bolt lashed down from the cyclone, striking the massive cable. Once it faded, Wolverine leaped off the mangled remains of a tree just tall enough. He hacked away at the spot Storm targeted, staying as long as he could before the miniguns still functional targeted him and fired.

Still, he had cut through a good deal. The Senshi could easily finish the job. Sailor Moon's hand went for her tiara as Submarine Reflection and Crescent Beam struck that spot next. "Moon Tiara Action!" she shrieked, letting the blazing disk fly. Her tiara was the last thing needed to sever the cable, depriving Mastermold of a potent weapon, along with a good chunk of its right arm.

Sailor Moon' heart swelled as Cable let that hunk of junk fall uselessly to the forest floor. Lightning rained down on it as Mercury and Neptune cut loose with watery attacks, aiming to short it out in case Mastermold could reattach it. Their plan was working! If they kept at it, they could carve Mastermold apart piece by piece!

Then Luna called out through the link with some more encouragement. _"Everyone, divert Mastermold about a hundred meters northeast, toward the road that cuts through this forest!"_ the cat implored. _"Something's come along that can put a big dent in Kizachi's overgrown toy!"_

Sailor Moon blinked in surprise. _"What's going on, Luna?"_

 _"Just hurry it up, Sailor Moon!"_ Luna hissed. _"Kizachi won't be in a good mood now..."_

As if to prove Luna's point, Kizachi suddenly shrilled, "This round goes to you, Tsukino! But do try to see if you can go the distance..."

"It goes to all of us, Kizachi!" Sailor Moon shouted back as she took to a tree still standing. The others were encouraging her to taunt Kizachi, to keep her from guessing they were luring her somewhere. As she fired repulsor blasts at targets Mercury's visor provided, Sailor Moon went on. "I've got a whole team behind me, a whole army! All you've got are these piles of junk! That's why you'll lose in the end!"

The Senshi kept heading northeast through the forest, goading Mastermold into following. Its left hand had to smash away the trees in its path, so it couldn't use that blaster on its hand much. It still had the miniguns on its left side, though, and the one on its right thigh looked like it was close to working again. And who knew when its turbine could be turned on them once more? Sailor Moon's earlier confidence started to ebb as she felt some bullets whiz past her cheek. She just hoped whatever Luna had in store would turn the tide.

Just as Sailor Moon could see the road, Mastermold had caught up. With a sweeping kick, it took out the tree Sailor Moon was perched in before she could jump away. With a wail, Sailor Moon hit the ground hard. She quickly sprang back up, kaleidoscope and armored forearm at the ready.

However, she wasn't prepared for Kizachi's next surprise. Those trap doors on either side of its belly snapped open. Out came masses of writhing, mechanical tendrils. "Oh gross, tentacles!?" Sailor Moon spat in disbelief.

 _"Well, it wouldn't be a new breed of Sentinels if one of 'em didn't have tentacles coming out of every orifice,"_ came Shadowcat's dry retort. _"Makoto, let's see what YOUR fastball special can do! Hurry!"_

Sailor Moon caught a flash of irritation from Jupiter. Yet at the same time, she could sense the grudging respect those two had for one another. Friendships like these could be messy, but ultimately, they were worth fighting for.

Shadowcat sailed through the mass of grasping tentacles zeroing in on Sailor Moon. No doubt Kizachi's cockpit and Mastermold's vital systems had safeguards against her phasing, but it looked like these tentacles were vulnerable. They writhed and sputtered, but more shot toward Sailor Moon.

Roses and pink hearts smashed into the ends of others, and Sailor Moon fired repulsor blasts to force back more, but there were just too many. "Waaaah! No no no!" Sailor Moon wailed as the claws on one grabbed her by the ankle, hoisting her up.

 _"Everyone, hold your fire!"_ came Luna's anguished plea. _"This little trump card can help get Usagi out of this. I hope."_

Sailor Moon didn't exactly share Luna's confidence. As she was brought up in front of Mastermold's cockpit, another tentacle gripped her armored left forearm. She screamed again as the tentacle's claws squeezed. Sparks flew as her gauntlet was crushed, nearly crushing her arm with it.

Eyes full of tears, Sailor Moon looked into the cockpit. Kizachi fixed her with what Sailor Moon supposed was a cold look. Her lips were pressed together. Despite having her in her clutches, Kizachi didn't look like she thought she was winning, or remotely pleased. "You're making this too easy, Tsukino!" Kizachi bellowed. "Don't tell me I've constructed my Sentinels _TOO_ well! Isn't the mighty Sailor Moon supposed to put up more of a fight than this!? Don't fail me all over again, Tsukino! Don't tell me..."

Kizachi was cut off by a blaring truck horn. In the distance, an engine roared, and was getting closer. Both Sailor Moon and Kizachi turned to look down at the nearby road.

A tanker truck was barreling down it at full speed. Sailor Moon couldn't make out who was in the driver's seat. As she squinted, the inside of the truck suddenly turned a soul-sucking black.

An instant later, Naru appeared, standing atop one of the tentacles. She jumped down and grabbed onto Sailor Moon as her oil slick flowed. Tendrils of ooze ensnared both Mastermold's torso and the tanker truck still speeding towards it. The truck was pulled off the road, its forward momentum making it rocket toward Mastermold.

Naru slurped up her slick, and once again that oppressive cold from without and explosive heat from within overwhelmed Sailor Moon. She was dimly aware of rolling along the forest floor as Naru clung to her. Then there was a deafening boom, followed by a rush of heat. Sailor Moon looked up as they stopped. A huge fireball had engulfed Mastermold as it staggered back, while ignited fuel sprayed everywhere, spreading a blaze.

 _"She did it!"_ said Artemis through the link. _"Mastermold was stunned, forced back! We bought ourselves some time!"_

 _"And we've got something else to show for it,"_ added Shadowcat. _"Mastermold's vital systems are too well-protected, but with Mercury's computer, I've been able to break into some minor stuff. Like, say, the defensive mechanisms against those who climb onto that sucker."_

Sailor Moon was only half-listening to the others. Naru rose to her feet the same time she did. Sailor Moon looked at her with worry, but Naru's gaze was fixed on Mastermold. "How many more times do I have to rescue you before we're truly even? Did you ever keep count?" she asked dryly.

"I... I... Naru, I-I-I-I..." Sailor Moon blubbered, not sure what to think. She thought Naru was lost forever, yet here she was, when they needed help most.

Turning to her, Naru looked down at the ruined gauntlet. Sighing, Naru reached down for it. Gritting her teeth, she managed to rip it off Sailor Moon's arm. "There, that should help," Naru said sternly. "And don't get any ideas. I'm just here to make sure Kizachi gets what's coming to her, that's all."

Sailor Moon knew that shouldn't have surprised her, but it stabbed at her heart all the same. _"Everyone, what do we do now? Naru can't be included in the link..."_

 _"And there's no keeping her away, either,"_ noted Cable. _"She'll be a wild card in this battle, but one we can possibly play in our favor."_ Sailor Moon caught Cable's dissatisfaction with a rogue element in the battlefield, but also his understanding you could never control everything on the battlefield.

Mastermold was already recovering from the tanker truck exploding in its face, ready for another round. But looking back to Naru, Sailor Moon wondered if her friend was ready for this. Would she accept help from them at last, or go off alone?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kizachi wasted no time once Mastermold's systems stabilized after Naru's attack. Its turbine was in working order, along with three of its miniguns and those damned tentacles. And given how Mastermold kept its distance from their remaining tree cover, it would be a difficult battle going forward. Storm had to summon another tornado to buy more time. Hopefully, Shadowcat could disable more systems on that walking death machine.

"Any second now, it'll force its way out of that tornado!" Naru snarled. "What good is it doing us!?"

Uranus glared at the girl. After everything Naru had done, she had the nerve to butt in like this? But despite all the hate in her heart, she did rescue their princess, and grant them all a reprieve with her tanker truck move. Still, Uranus hoped Storm and Cable's hopes weren't misplaced, letting the girl fight alongside them.

"Buyin' us a little more time to cook up another plan, kiddo," growled Wolverine. "Kitty's broken into some minor systems, disabling a few defensive measures. So listen closely, Naru. Remember when Hank served me and Kitty up a 'fastball special'?"

Finally, Mastermold emerged from the tornado's buffeting winds. Knowing of Wolverine's plans, Storm willed it to dissipate, giving Naru a clear shot. She grabbed onto the back of Wolverine's uniform, spun around, and hurled him at Mastermold's left shoulder. Uranus could tell Naru flung him with a little too much force, but his claws dug into that polymer plating, halting his momentum.

Sighing, Uranus turned to Naru and shrugged. "Well, I'll have what he's having..."

Naru fixed her with an odd look. Was that guilt in her eyes, over what she did to her and Neptune? Annoyance with being ordered about? To Uranus, it seemed like Naru didn't even know what _SHE_ felt these days.

Whatever it was, Naru still served up another 'fastball special'. With one set of claws dug deep into Mastermold's armor, Wolverine caught Uranus with his free hand and pulled her down. Then they got to work. Wolverine tore into the minigun, even as it fired down at their friends. Once Wolverine carved open an opening, Uranus sank her Space Sword into it as it powered up.

"This time, I try something even more... _DIRECT!_ " she shouted. "Space Sword Blaster!" Between that and Wolverine continuously ripping into it, the whole thing smoked and sparked. It was finally out of commission, hopefully for good.

Meanwhile, through the link, Uranus saw that several Senshi had launched attacks at the minigun on Mastermold's right thigh, in conjunction with lightning bolts from Storm. Storm was also sending down lightning bolts to keep those damn tentacles from reaching her and Wolverine. Tuxedo Kamen's roses, Beast's gunfire and Chibi-Moon's pink hearts fended off the ones Storm missed.

Uranus wasn't sure how she felt about this whole psychic rapport thing. In the end, it didn't matter. Her princess's orders were clear. She didn't mind being so intimately connected to Neptune, but having the others inside her head was a bit unsettling. Still, there was no denying how useful it was. It gave the X-Men an advantage in their fight at the shipyard. Now it gave the Senshi an edge against Mastermold.

"Nice, Uranus," said Wolverine. "Now, let's get over to the other one." Just then, Mastermold lurched. Thanks to Shadowcat, it could no longer spin to throw them off. Wolverine could use his claws to get over there, but it would be a challenge for Uranus to keep her footing. Assuming a tentacle didn't grab her.

That would be taken care of soon, however. She heard Naru shriek with fury from down below. Risking a glance down Mastermold's shoulder, Uranus saw Naru jump up through those writhing tentacles. She snared a good number with her own tendrils as she landed in front of Kizachi's cockpit. "Forget Sailor Moon, Kizachi!" Naru snarled, hammering away at the spot Wolverine tried to claw through. "You'll be answering to _ME_!"

"Naru, you fool girl, get off! It's too strong to punch through!" Uranus shouted.

Unsurprisingly, Naru didn't listen and kept pounding away, howling with rage. Some cracks actually spread from where she was punching. Still, it was only a matter of time before one of the tentacles latched onto Naru.

"Naru!" cried Uranus, readying her Space Sword for a shot. But that tentacle was moving so erratically, she was afraid she'd hit Naru instead. As much as the girl still needed some sense knocked into her, Sailor Moon wouldn't look kindly upon 'friendly' fire.

It didn't look like she had a choice, though. Electricity flowed through the tentacle. Naru writhed and screamed in pain, unable to teleport away. "Lehnsherr and I had such high hopes for you, Osaka!" Kizachi snarled. "You were supposed to lead the mutants of Japan into a better future, one my daughter will never get to see!"

Thankfully, Sailor Moon herself was on it. Thanks to the link, Uranus knew Sailor Moon was right in front of Mastermold, its remaining miniguns firing at other targets. Still, she was stupidly putting herself in a vulnerable position. Considering this was Sailor Moon, who refused to give up on her friend, it came as no shock. "Naru, no! Moon Gorgeous Meditation!"

Her attack encompassed a good number of the tentacles, not to mention the armor plating around the left side of Mastermold's torso. At the very least, this shorted out the electrical flow from the tentacle grasping Naru.

As she blasted away with her black lightning, Naru used her strength to wrench herself free. She jumped down to Sailor Moon, just as Mastermold retracted those tentacles and powered up its turbine. A split second before it would have incinerated the both of them, Naru pulled Sailor Moon to her with an oily tendril. Uranus watched them vanish in an explosion of blackness, right before plasma rained down.

"That's another one," said Uranus. "Keep it up, and we might actually forgive you, Naru."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Freezing fire and burning cold assaulted every nerve. Sailor Moon didn't object when Naru helped her to stand on wobbly legs. Looking around, she guessed Naru teleported them a safe distance from Mastermold. Still, they were close enough to the warzone to see the glow from the raging fires.

"Guess I still need practice with teleporting other people," grumbled Naru impatiently. Even without the benefit of linking with her mind, there was no mistaking her eagerness to tackle Mastermold again.

"Naru, you've got to take it easy," Sailor Moon pleaded. "No one blames you for wanting to bring Kizachi's death machine down, but Mastermold is too big and too tough to tackle head-on like you're thinking."

Naru glanced over to her quizzically. "Really? Then don't you think it's time to bring out the big guns yourself?"

Sailor Moon knew what she meant, but remembered Cable's reluctance to allow it. As she wondered if Naru could be right, Sailor Moon heard the others through the rapport. _"Wolverine and I took out the other shoulder's minigun before those damn tentacles finally knocked us off,"_ came Uranus's voice. _"Anyone know just how much damage we've done to this thing altogether?"_

Sailor Moon sensed the dread and disappointment from Mercury a moment before she spoke. _"Some weapons and Mastermold's right arm put out of commission, but structural integrity is holding at 80 percent, even after pounding the areas with lighter armor. In the meantime, Kizachi is wearing us down swiftly, while eliminating a good deal of out cover and ability to stay mobile."_

" _Agreed. If we keep up this battle of attrition, Kizachi will probably win,"_ said Cable. _"I'm still afraid that Kizachi is watching for the Sailor Planet Attack or Ginzuishou, but we're running out of options and time."_

" _I share your concerns, Nathan,"_ said Storm. _"Inner Senshi, are you ready to try the Sailor Planet Attack if the Outers, Nathan and I provide cover to withdraw?"_

" _Just give the word, Storm!"_ Mars replied. She exuded way more confidence than Sailor Moon felt at the moment. _"It's time for Kizachi to learn why you don't mess with..."_

" _NO!"_ came Shadowcat's shout suddenly. _"First off, that must be what Kizachi wants, but not quite for the reasons Cable thinks. Her behavior as of late... Kizachi EXPECTS the Sailor Senshi to win and blow Mastemold away, and her along with them!"_

" _Shadowcat is right. Even by winning, we'll be playing into her hands yet again!"_ Mercury replied.

" _What's more, I've crunched some of the data Mercury's visor has fed into her computer,"_ Shadowcat went on. _"There's something interesting about what Usagi and Naru just did..."_

Sailor Moon was about to ask what Shadowcat meant, but it was getting hard to hear through the link. Mastermold was stomping closer. The din from its spewed plasma and one functional minigun was deafening. Worse, Naru took that as her cue to run and face it again.

Sighing, Sailor Moon dashed after her. By the time she caught up, Naru was already busy with the minigun on Mastemold's left thigh. She tried to gum it up with ooze while blasting it with black lightning. It didn't seem to be accomplishing much, as it swiveled around to fire at her. She leaped back, but tentacles slithered down to grasp her.

Sailor Moon tossed her tiara to take out some of them. Meanwhile, Beast was close by, and used Cable's rifle to strike down more. He was flanked by Jupiter, who was using Supreme Thunder Dragon, its jaws clamped down on where Mastermold's right arm had been severed.

"Ms. Osaka, I would humbly suggest you make a dignified, strategic withdrawal," Beast implored loudly over the din of battle. "Mastermold is far too powerful a foe to try bringing down alone."

" _But we'll still need her, Hank!"_ Shadowcat shouted through the link. _"Just get her to fall back so we can explain to her..."_

Shadowcat was cut off as pain rippled through the link. Mastermold had fired a stun blast down at Jupiter and Beast. Powerful as it was, it couldn't knock either of them unconscious. However, it did give Mastermold a chance to move in. Sailor Moon could only watch in horror as it lifted a foot to bring crashing down onto them, and she was too far away.

Luckily, distance wasn't an issue for Naru. She lassoed the both of them with a tendril, pulled them to her just before Mastermold could flatten them, then threw them into some trees Kizachi had yet to bring down. Then she pulled Sailor Moon to her with another tendril and jumped after them. Despite her insistence that she was only here for Kizachi, for whatever reason, Naru seemed intent on watching all their backs.

As they sailed into the trees, Sailor Moon looked back to see Mastermold opening its turbine to spew plasma. Submarine Reflection, Venus Love-and-Beauty Shock, along with lightning bolts and gale-force winds from Storm, kept it at bay, at least for a moment. Maybe that would buy time to clue Naru in on whatever plan Shadowcat cooked up.

"My deepest gratitude for a most spectacular last-minute save, Ms. Osaka," said Beast once the pair reached him and Jupiter. "However, I fear we X-Men must trouble you again, as only you can execute a stratagem Kizachi will never see coming."

"Just what is she supposed to throw at it that she hasn't already?" Sailor Moon demanded, confused.

" _Mercury's visor picked up something odd when Naru's dark power struck areas enveloped with your Moon Gorgeous Meditation attack,"_ explained Shadowcat. _"I crunched the data with her computer, and it looks as if Mastermold's polymer was somehow weakened."_

" _I think I understand what's transpired, Kitty,"_ Beast replied through the link. Out loud, he turned to Naru and said. "Iron Man once told me of when an older build of his armor was subjected to blasts of extreme heat and cold at the same time, and couldn't compensate. I believe something similar just happened when both your attacks and Sailor Moon's overlapped. Sailor Mercury's scans showed those spots on its armor were momentarily in flux."

"Why would that happen? I don't get it," Naru asked, her dubiousness palpable.

"I think I do. Darkness and light, merging together," said Jupiter. "Two opposite extremes. No way Kizachi could ever build armor expecting that."

"So since Kizachi is no doubt watching for something like the Sailor Planet Attack, we can surprise her instead," said Beast. "Ms. Osaka, can you trust in your old friend just once more to pull this off?"

Naru looked to Sailor Moon, a strange look in her eyes. Was there actually regret mixed in with her thirst for revenge? Before Sailor Moon could plead with her, they heard Mastermold charging toward them.

" _Storm and the Outer Senshi have knocked out that turbine again, but we can't stop this thing from advancing!"_ came Venus's panicky thoughts. _"Someone get Naru to see sense so we can put a real chink in its armor!"_

"Sailor Jupiter and I will buy you two a little more time," said Beast. He readied Cable's rifle and jumped back through the trees.

As Jupiter ran after him, she called back to Naru. "Please Naru, remember what I told you about another opportunity? The door isn't shut yet..."

Naru watched her run off, then looked back to Sailor Moon and finally said, "So how are we supposed to do this?"

Sailor Moon shrugged her shoulders. "I guess we just blast Mastermold at the same time and hope for the best."

Naru still looked doubtful, still thinking about something. But her thoughts were interrupted when they heard a cry from Beast. Mastermold was crashing through the trees, and had flung Beast away with a tentacle. Naru and Sailor Moon watched Beast sail deeper into the forest, only to turn back when Jupiter cried out. She had tried jumping back into the trees for cover, but fire from Mastermold's last minigun struck her down. Jupiter tumbled back down to the ground, barely moving.

Sailor Moon knew she would probably recover, but for the moment, Jupiter was vulnerable. Sailor Moon looked back up at Mastermold in fear. Only a few trees still stood between them, and assuming Kizachi had no further interest in Jupiter, she would send those tentacles down at her.

Sailor Moon snapped out of it when Naru placed her hands on her shoulders. "Usagi, maybe there's a better way. That attack of yours, Moon Gorgeous Meditation... Didn't Chibiusa have to summon a pegasus to juice it up?"

"Yeah, but Helios is kind of out of contact now. Why?" Sailor Moon asked.

"It sounds like anyone can lend you strength for this attack," said Naru. "If what Beast said is true, about that armor not being able to handle both extremes... If we attack it this way..."

At first, Sailor Moon shuddered at the thought. The power of the Dark Kingdom, flowing into her? The last time Sailor Moon tried to blow away something this big, it was with the intent of wiping that out for good. But if what Naru said was true... _I just wanted Naru to trust me again,_ Sailor Moon told herself. _I guess that would mean I'll have to show some trust in return, open myself up, be vulnerable too..._

Sailor Moon produced her kaleidoscope and knelt down just as Mastermold swept aside the last few trees between them. One of Naru's hands was still on her shoulder, while the other was placed over Sailor Moon's. She could already feel Naru willing dark power to flow out from her. It was even more pervasive than when Naru teleported with her, as if fire and ice seeped into the marrow of her bones. Despite the pain, she could feel that sickly, dark power adding to her own strength, merging with it...

She took a deep breath, and fixed Mastermold's cockpit with a steely glare, all fear banished again. She pulled the kaleidoscope back, and when Sailor Moon spoke the words, Naru echoed them. "Moon... Gorgeous..." The tentacles were coming for them. It had to be now. " _MEDITATION!_ " they both roared in unison. Sailor Moon thrust the kaleidoscope upward, and let loose.

The attack was noticeably different from when Pegasus powered it up. Normally, it was one big, blinding blast, seemingly making reality itself fracture around her target. Now, it went from that blinding radiance to a ravenous darkness, then back in the blink of an eye. It struck Mastermold's left shoulder, spreading over its armor like a liquid. A glowing, sparkling ooze that switched to an inky, soul-smothering black and back. Sometimes, it looked like both at once. Black electricity crackled all over Mastermold along with sparkling bursts of pure power.

Sailor Moon wasn't quite sure what was going on, but it stopped Mastermold in its tracks. "What's this!? My systems can't compensate for..." Kizachi began. And then, it happened. Much like against the Lemures, reality itself crackled and shattered. In this case, the area where mingling darkness and light spread out seeped down deep into the polymer armor. It fixed itself and crackled like glaze on pottery, then violently burst apart.

Kizachi screamed as Mastermold staggered back, falling to one knee. Smoke and sparks spewed from its left shoulder. No, more like the entire left side of Mastermold's torso. Storm summoned another tornado to hold Mastermold in place for a moment. Before that funnel swallowed it up, enough smoke blew away for Sailor Moon to see most of the armor their combination attack covered was completely blown off! Mastermold was now vulnerable!

"Naru, we did it!" beamed Sailor Moon. She took Naru's hands in hers and hopped in joy. "With part of that armor blown off, we can keep hitting it until it drops!" Naru didn't even look her in the eye. She just stared at the tornado with a blank look, just waiting for Mastermold to emerge again.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sailor Moon and Eclipse had the sense to use Storm's cover to get clear as they organized for their next push. It wasn't long before Mastermold broke free of that tornado. Though that monster was still on its feet, that gaping hole would soon prove its undoing.

Sailor Neptune watched as Storm swooped down, lightning bolts flying from her fingertips. Summoning it from the sky wasn't enough. No, now that a weak spot had been created, Storm wanted this to be more personal. Through the link, Neptune could sense how sick and tired Storm was of fighting these things, and her exasperation bubbled over in the form of chain lightning.

Neptune didn't blame her. Rather, she raised her mirror. "Submarine Reflection!" she roared, and her watery blast struck Mastermold's inner workings. That one minigun on its left thigh swiveled to fire at her, but a telekinetic shield from Cable let Neptune keep firing. Her joint attack with Storm was sure to short out more systems. Mars, Venus and Uranus piled on with their own attacks. Sooner or later, their combined wrath would bring this abomination down.

Or so Neptune hoped. But she sensed brewing trouble on the seas before Mercury suddenly spoke up. _"Everyone, I've done another series of scans,"_ Mercury said through the link. _"Good news and bad news."_

 _"Better than the fact we can pile onto this sucker big-time now?"_ Wolverine replied.

 _"Very much so,"_ said Shadowcat. _"It looks like there'll be no need to dig under the rubble of Nephrite's old place... All the systems controlling and guiding those Sentinels in the city are housed in Mastermold!"_

 _"That simplifies matters,"_ said Uranus. _"What's the bad news?"_

There was a pause that spoke volumes. _"Kizachi's recalled all the Sentinels. The ones Sailor Moon's friends haven't trashed are on their way back,"_ said Shadowcat.

Despite knowing something was coming, Neptune shuddered. Those Sentinels would surround them, and Kizachi would pick them off as they tried to fend them off.

Tentacles lashed out, too many for Cable to keep back with telekinesis. Neptune had to leap away, just as Naru ran past her. The girl grabbed a large rock jutting out of the ground and pulled it out. With a shriek, she hurled it at Mastermold's weak spot, hoping it would run it through.

Mastermold staggered back again, but the rock hadn't penetrated far enough. Kizachi retaliated immediately. Neptune heard something open up on Mastermold's back. Missiles shot upwards, then their trajectory veered down. One came right for Neptune and Naru.

Naru pulled Neptune to her with a tendril and jumped away. She detonated it with a blast of dark energy when it was only a few meters away. The explosion shook them both, and they rolled a good distance, clinging to each other.

Neptune gagged, choking on smoke and some dirt that got in her mouth. Mastermold was turning this forest into a barren, burning wasteland, and if they weren't careful, this would be a graveyard for them all. When she opened her eyes, she saw Naru standing over her. Naru stared at her strangely. Was that remorse in her eyes? Was saving her like a way to balance the scales after everything she had done?

If so, now wasn't the time for that. "Listen girl, don't bother throwing projectiles, no matter how big they are," grumbled Neptune as she got to her feet. "I know from experience how devastating your dark power is. Use that, while there's time!"

"W-W-What're you talking about?" asked Naru. "What's so..."

"Kizachi has recalled the Sentinels," said Neptune gravely. "If Mastermold isn't destroyed before they arrive, we will be overwhelmed."

Neptune caught Naru's eyes widening a little. But someone else took the dire news in stride. "Well then, _chere_ , let's be makin' sure that don't happen!" came a singsong voice from overhead.

 _"Oh no no no, not HIM!"_ Uranus cried through the link. _"What's HE doing back!?"_

Looking up, Neptune saw that it wasn't just one particular Cajun who had returned to Japan. He clung to Iceman's back as he formed an ice slide. They went over Naru and Neptune, heading for Mastermold. Some of the other Senshi were keeping Kizachi busy, allowing the two of them to veer over Mastermold. An icy blast and kinetically-charged cards rained down on the gaping hole in Mastermold's armor, making it stagger again.

Neptune then sensed an alien presence, but forced herself to remain calm. If Gambit and Iceman were back, Neptune had a hunch about who else came with them. Rogue zoomed overhead, rocketing toward Mastermold with Colossus in tow, yet he was in human form. When Rogue hurled him at Mastermold, only then did he transform to his armored self, striking Mastermold's belly like a cannonball. The booming thud echoed through the decimated forest, but somehow, Mastermold was still on its feet.

 _"Shoulda known the Cajun couldn't resist a good scrap,"_ Wolverine said through the link. _"Cable, wanna get 'em hooked up so we can finish this?"_

 _"Oh NO NO NO!"_ Uranus cried in protest. _"Don't include that insufferable sod in the link and... Oh great, he's in. I can feel his slimy psyche oozing into the back of my mind..."_

 _"We love you too, sugar,"_ Rogue cut in dryly.

 _"Sorry we took so long, but there was an unavoidable detour,"_ said Gambit. _"An acquaintance called in a favor. Thankfully, we hitched a ride with him."_

 _"Seriously, it's like my brain is being dunked in gumbo over here,"_ Uranus went on.

 _"Will you GET OVER IT, Haruka!?"_ snapped Neptune. _"Gambit, just who are you talking about? Never mind, it's of no consequence. What matters is toppling Mastermold before..."_

Neptune didn't get a chance to finish her thought. The roar of turbines from the regular Sentinels shrilled overhead. Naru and Neptune looked up to see a trio of them closing in. Neptune readied her mirror, and hoped Naru was ready with her dark power.

Something else lashed out at them instead. Some sort of weapons fire ripped into the Sentinels before they could descend and attack. Not caring who provided the assist, Neptune fired Submarine Reflection, taking out one of them. Missiles now struck the remaining two, and Neptune and Naru's combined power helped take them out in short order.

Their mangled, hulking husks collapsed onto the burning remains of some trees. Only then did Neptune and Naru look up to see who had their backs. Strange jets capable of vertical liftoff rushed past, but one hovered just over them. Men came out, using rappel lines to lower themselves to the ground. One in particular stood out: a dark-skinned man with an eyepatch, armed with a rocket launcher.

 _"Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D.,"_ said Gambit through the link, answering Neptune's unspoken question. _"Trust me, he's on your side, Michiru."_

"Sailor Neptune, I trust Gambit's explained why S.H.I.E.L.D. is here," said Fury in English, gazing at Neptune strangely. Then he looked to Naru. "And the fearsome Eclipse... I could just pinch your cheeks. But forget it, I brought someone else who's been eager to talk to you."

Before either of them could ask who that was, one of the Sentinels that S.H.I.E.L.D. helped bring down roared back to life. Its legs were shot, but it crawled forward, its right arm already transformed into a minigun.

It never got the chance to fire. There was a shriek, and then something big and green slammed down onto the Sentinel's back. Its sallow eyes blew out instantly.

Neptune and Naru watched in confusion and awe as whoever it was walked down the Sentinel and jumped off its head. A ridiculously tall and ripped woman, with green skin and hair, wearing a purple and white leotard. "Naru Osaka, I didn't imagine finally meeting you under such circumstances, but... I'm your attorney."

Naru just stared at She-Hulk with a look of utter bewilderment. She could tell this was someone she shouldn't pit her strength against.

Their awkward meeting was interrupted by the arrival of more Sentinels overhead. One fired its minigun down at them. She-Hulk stepped in front of Neptune and Naru, taking the bullets for them. Fury fired a rocket up at one, striking its shoulder and forcing it to break off, but more were closing in. "Keep an eye on your 'client' for a second, why don't you, Shulkie?" Fury suggested delicately. "After all, you're not the only one I brought who can whittle down these tin soldiers..."

Again, before Neptune could inquire further, another new arrival made his presence known. A blazing figure of red and white, zooming around the Sentinels and cutting loose with searing flame. "Sailor Senshi, is it I, Shiro Yoshida!" the man called out. "Nick Fury convinced me I could not stay away any longer! The Senshi have sacrificed much to help my fellow mutants, and I honor that debt now!"

"Sailor Neptune, Eclipse, go to your friends!" She-Hulk implored. "S.H.I.E.L.D., Sunfire and I can keep these Sentinels off your backs so you can finish this!" She then leaped up to tackle a Sentinel that Sunfire had immobilized with his flame.

" _THAT'S Sunfire!? He can FLY!?"_ came Mars's cry through the link, dripping with envy. _"OK, getting jealous over here!"_

" _Rei, will you focus on the big-ass Sentinel right in front of us, not the guy keeping the little ones off our backs!?"_ Wolverine demanded.

Neptune couldn't agree more with that sentiment. She grabbed Naru's arm and dashed back toward Mastermold. Kizachi's creature was a good distance away, so she had a little time to clue Naru in. "We've got a plan, Naru. Just focus everything you've got on Mastermold when we get in range, and don't let up..."

However, more Sentinels closed in that slipped past S.H.I.E.L.D.'s aircraft. But as it turned out, S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't their only backup. One touched down to the right of them. As soon as it did, two figures jumped from the smoldering remains of some trees.

Neptune recognized them both. Kuwabara, of those 'Spirit Detectives', and this Ryoga, who she saw at the initial meeting. Sailor Moon's new 'friends' must have tracked the Sentinels back here. Kuwabara conjured a sword of spiritual energy, thrusting in into the back of the Sentinel's knee, while Ryoga slammed his finger into the other and screamed, "Bakusai Tenketsu!"

As the Sentinel faltered, there was a loud, piercing cry from overhead: " _HOEEEEEE!_ " Something with wings cut through the acrid smoke in the sky. At first, Neptune thought it could be Angel of the X-Men, thanks to the yellow X on the chest plate. But no, this person was too small. A little girl!? Her feet slammed into the Sentinel's faceplate so hard, it shattered to pieces. Thanks to those three striking in tandem, the Sentinel toppled over, but another was closing in. The winged girl wasted no time ripping the downed Sentinel's head off to hurl at the other one.

" _That little girl's got some fashion sense,"_ Wolverine quipped. _"Who's her tailor?"_

At the moment, Neptune couldn't care less. All that mattered was closing in and striking with everything they had.

More Sentinels closed in on their left, but then it was revealed that the fires hadn't extinguished all life in the forest. Thorny vines shot out from the soil, ensnaring one of them. Neptune smirked, knowing what was coming next. Yusuke appeared, pointing and firing with that blast of spiritual power as Hiei hacked away at the Sentinel's neck.

Another Sentinel was ensnared in swirling, green winds. Neptune spotted Fuu nearby. No doubt this was her wind power unleashed. She kept the Sentinel ensnared as Lum Invader flew in, holding onto that pigtailed girl. Lum cut loose with electricity as the redhead shouted, "Mōko Takabisha!" This sent out a sphere of destructive energy, pelting the Sentinel.

At last, Neptune was nearly within striking distance of Mastermold. The others were already doing a fine job of keeping Kizachi busy, especially the returning X-Men. Rogue delivered a pile-driving drop kick to the back of Mastermold's head just as Colossus landed a haymaker on its ankle. All while Gambit and Iceman pelted the gap in its armor as the latter kept them mobile on an ice slide. Mastermold nearly lost its balance, but then charged ahead, swatting at the ice slide to shatter it.

"Deep Submerge!" roared Neptune. Her attack struck Mastermold's weak spot to cover Gambit and Iceman as a new slide was generated. Naru joined in with black lightning as Storm swooped in to pile on more of her own lightning. The minigun on its left thigh targeted her, and Storm barely evaded its fire.

And though the damage to the other miniguns was too much for Mastermold's auto-repair, the same couldn't be said for its tentacles. Without the benefit of the trees, the Senshi and X-Men on the ground were easy targets.

Luckily, Tuxedo Kamen and Chibi-Moon did a good job keeping tentacles at bay. Roses and pink hearts smashed those grasping tentacles as fast as others repaired themselves. Mars also helped beat the tentacles back with Burning Mandala, but withdrew as Lockheed swooped in to provide another target to distract Kizachi, spewing some flame breath at them in her stead.

Even better, Naru jumped up and grabbed two headed for Uranus. With a shriek, she crushed one in between her legs while ripping the end of another clean off. Neptune could sense her partner's relief and satisfaction as she raised her sword. "Space Sword Blaster!" she cried. Her attack hit home just as Cable slammed Mastermold with a telekinetic bedlam.

" _That's it, we're keeping Kizachi distracted!"_ Shadowcat cried through the link. _"She probably doesn't even know I've managed to break into her sensors and surveillance systems, altering things ever so subtly. We're hitting her hard from all sides, and with the chaos all around us thanks to our backup... Michiru, I hoped you clued Naru in on what she needs to do."_

" _She understands, Kitty,"_ Neptune said quickly as she ducked and rolled to avoid another tentacle. She looked over to Naru, who had just jumped back to avoid a blast from Mastermold's palm. In truth, Neptune wondered if Naru would continue to be a team player. And what about after Mastermold was felled? What then?

She could only hope Naru had enough sense left to listen to them. "Naru, now! Do it now!" Neptune cried out. To her amazement, Naru broke off from blasting Mastermold's weak spot and teleported. Neptune looked up to see Naru reappear right under Mastermold's chin, hovering above Kizachi's cockpit. She swore she saw Naru smirk as she let ooze flow over the glass bubble. As she did this, Iceman and Gambit made another pass. While Gambit hurled more cards at Mastermold's weak spot, Iceman coated Mastermold's faceplate with ice.

" _It's done!"_ Storm shouted through the link. _"X-Men, Sailor Senshi... Everyone, get clear!"_

"What are these childish antics supposed to accomplish, Munroe!?" Kizachi hissed. "Even with all the allies who've joined the fight, you can't... Wait, your little kitten's been in my systems again!? And where have... Oh no..."

Kizachi figured out their ploy, but for once, she didn't do it in time. Mastermold wiped the gunk from the cockpit bubble to let her see the Inner Senshi standing in a circle several dozen meters away, among some tree still standing. Their bodies glowed with raw power. One by one, the Inner Senshi had withdrawn as the rest worked to keep Kizachi distracted and leave Mastermold open for the killing blow. Thanks to all the new arrivals, Kizachi's Sentinels were too busy to zero in on them as they collected power, even if Shadowcat hadn't used Mercury's computer to compromise their sensors, too.

Neptune would have given anything to see the look on Kizachi's face upon realizing she was just played. Hopefully, the shock made her freeze up. In case it didn't, Iceman took the liberty of encasing Mastermold's feet in ice, while Cable further anchored them with telekinesis. Given Mastermold's bulk and strength, it could wrench free, but not soon enough to stop what was coming.

"SAILOR PLANET ATTACK!" shouted the Inner Senshi. Their attack shot through the trees, toward Mastermold's left side.

It smashed right through the weak spot Naru and Sailor Moon created, piercing through Mastermold like a spear. Kizachi's screams were drowned out by the booming thud from Mastermold toppling backward, and when something exploded within its torso, possibly part of that turbine.

A huge plume of flame and smoke rose from Mastermold, just as Neptune noticed the Sentinels still active suddenly faltered, then shut down. Lum fluttered up to the face of one still standing, now hunched over. Curious, she knocked on its faceplate a few times, then looked down to some of the others, shrugging her shoulders.

" _It's... really over?"_ asked Sailor Moon, convinced it was too good to be true.

" _Mastermold's down, and all the Sentinels got shut down with it,"_ replied Wolverine. _"I'd say yeah, it's pretty much over."_

" _Then all that's left is to pry Kizachi's stinking carcass out of that hunk of junk so she finally gets what coming to her!"_ Uranus snarled.

Storm said nothing, but Neptune could sense the X-Men's leader was in full agreement. Then Neptune sensed Storm using her power, willing her cyclone to finally dump rain. It began to quell the raging fires Mastermold started, as well as the one raging from that fallen monstrosity. Though it was down, Neptune approached with caution. Kizachi could still have some nasty surprises in store. As she climbed atop Mastermold's leg, her senses were focused on detecting any traps. Her concentration was momentarily broken by... a pig squealing?

Iceman and Gambit dropped down from an ice slide as the Inner Senshi and Naru climbed up onto its torso. As Storm and Cable lowered themselves onto it, the former summoned some wind to blow away lingering smoke. That was when they got quite a nasty surprise, but not the kind Neptune feared. It was worse.

Kizachi's cockpit... simply wasn't there. Now there was a gaping void where her cockpit used to be.

"Well that's just peachy," spat Iceman. "Where'd she go?"

"The cockpit doubled as an escape pod, most likely," said Mercury. "Kizachi must have launched it while the smoke and fire would obscure it. The gloom from Storm's cyclone, plus smoke from the fires already burning, kept it hidden while we watched Mastermold topple."

"Great, she could be anywhere by now," spat Sailor Moon. "Mercury, let's hope between you and Shadowcat, you can track her down. Naru, after everything we just went through, we're not stopping until..." When Sailor Moon turned to her old friend, she fell silent. Neptune was filled with unease as well. Naru had vanished.

"Where'd Naru go? It's not like..." Cable began, but then his face fell in horror. "Oh no. People, we have a serious problem."

"Why's that, Cable?" asked Gambit. "Not like Naru can close in on Kizachi quicker than any o' us."

"Actually, Remy, she can," said Cable. "Umino explained to us how Naru's been improving her proficiency with teleportation. By 'tagging' a spot with ooze charged with dark power, she can home in and teleport to it more easily."

"And we just had Naru cover that cockpit with it," Storm said gravely.

"Meaning we better find that pod fast, before Naru truly crosses the line," said Jupiter, echoing the terror Sailor Moon was radiating.

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Holy hell, once again I am exhausted after cobbling together a chapter full of crossover craziness and Sentinel-scrapping insanity. Seriously, even by my messed-up standards, this chapter wound up being completely off the hook, but DAMN was it fun. A lot of praise for _Avengers: Infinity War_ dealt with the insane crossover team-up battles, so that got me thinking. Figuring out how to have all these characters work together was a challenge, but a fun one.

But now, I've got a vacation coming up, so it'll be a bit longer than usual to see how this finally plays out. For what profit is it to a Japanese schoolgirl to smash every goddamn Sentinel in sight, but lose her best friend's soul? Or something like that.

So long,

Grey-X


	33. A Look in the Mirror

**Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse**

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 33: A Look in the Mirror

8-12-2018

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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Clutching her sides, blood dribbling down her face, Erina Kizachi dropped down and shuffled away from the burning remains of Mastermold's escape pod. Her legs screamed in protest. Erina was certain she could also feel pain from some severe burns. Yet she found it easy to push all that aside and trudge on, as fury easily eclipsed any pain.

Not anger because the Sailor Senshi and the X-Men defeated Mastermold. Oh no, Erina accepted that was the likely outcome, no matter how much she tweaked her creation. Destroying the newest line of Sentinels? It's what the X-Men do. And the Sailor Senshi had trounced menaces just as dangerous as her Mastermold. After watching them for so long, Erina would be the first to admit the odds were against her. Though it looked like her Mastermold had the upper hand for a stretch, it was no surprise Sailor Moon outfoxed her in the end.

No, what infuriated Erina was how the Sailor Senshi refused to finish the job. They could have aimed their attack so that the cockpit would be obliterated as it drilled through that gaping hole in Mastermold's armor. But they didn't. Despite the clear and present danger of her Mastermold and its Sentinels, they opted to try taking her alive.

And Erina refused to be taken alive. Win or lose against the Senshi, whether she crushed Usagi Tsukino's heart or her body, death was all that awaited her. All that should await her. If Mastermold was to go down, she should have gone down with it.

"What's wrong with you, Tsukino?" Erina grumbled as she shuffled through the trees, slowly but steadily approaching her target. "I divide our country, stick a knife in your heart and twist it... I've hurt you in ways no one else has. You've blown away your enemy's foot soldiers for far less. Yet I'm not dangerous enough to vaporize along with them?"

Erina took her glasses off to wipe blood out of her eyes. Thankfully, the forest's nighttime gloom was no hindrance, as it was bright light that repulsed her. If anything, the darkness made it easier to make her way through this forest, not less. "Of course, Wolverine's probably picked up my scent by now. My nanomachines will screen out telepathic probes, but that nose of his is another story. And who knows just what Tsukino's new recruits can do? I better move..."

It was easier said than done, as the pain was catching up. Erina cried out as sharp pain shot up her legs, forcing her to lean on a tree to catch her breath. "Great, even if Wolverine's nose hasn't pinpointed me, he'll hear that," Erina muttered.

Fortunately, Erina had reached her destination. Her escape pod was preprogrammed to bring her here, where a van was hidden for contingencies such as this. She smiled to herself, her mind already working on new plans to frustrate the Sailor Senshi. They refused to see her as a threat equal to Beryl and the others? That would come back to bite them.

Erina slowly made her way around it, fumbling for the keys. But suddenly, she felt something yank her back. And some strange goo seep through the burn holes in her clothes.

She deduced who it was in an instant. The next thing that went through Erina's mind was throbbing pain as her head was smashed through one of the van's back windows, courtesy of Osaka's tendrils. Osaka let her slide to the ground, Erina's voice merely a gurgle of blood. Then Osaka walked up and grabbed hold with her own two hands. With a shriek of rage, she smashed Erina's face through the other window.

Everything was a hazy blur for a moment, but Erina was dimly aware of Osaka letting her drop down again. Then very aware of the foot sinking into her gut. It was a wonder that didn't snap her in half. Instinctively, she reached into her coat. She had something planned for this eventuality, a spray that would put that oil slick into a deep freeze, long enough to let her slip away...

And as Erina reached up to aim it, Osaka slammed her foot down on her forearm, eliciting her loudest scream yet.

"I don't think so, Kizachi!" Osaka howled. She hoisted Erina back up and slammed her against the back of the van. Grinning evilly, Osaka let some dark energy flow, making Erina scream again. "Yeah, that's right! Scream! Beg for mercy! Feel the terror my mother must've felt as that poison did its job!"

Despite her hammering heart, Erina forced herself to remain calm. She looked Osaka in the eye, refusing to flinch from that look of venomous hate. If nothing else, it gave her an idea. If Tsukino refused to finish her, Osaka no doubt would. Which, to Erina's delight, would stab at Tsukino's heart one last time, seeing the friend she was desperate to 'save' kill in cold blood. But it would have to be done before a Senshi or X-Man could interfere. She had to convince Osaka to do the deed sooner rather than later.

"I-I-I... never wanted your mother to die, Osaka," Erina croaked through a mouthful of blood. "She was a treasure. A mother who refused to forsake her mutant daughter. She got to prove herself in a way I never could."

Osaka blinked in confusion. It was working. The more confused and worked up she made Osaka, the more likely she would give in to base instinct and simply kill her.

So Erina went on. "What, weren't you listening in before? The daughter I lost the day that tree grew out of control was also a mutant. But she couldn't control her power because she never had a chance to practice. Afraid of revealing them, thinking I would be ashamed when nothing could've been further from the truth."

For a moment, Osaka simply stared into her eyes. "So you were working with Magneto because you actually believe in his vision, despite being human yourself?" she asked at length.

Erina nodded. "After losing Erika, I devoted my life to making sure the world would become a place she could've thrived in."

"And making my life a living hell was all a part of the plan!?" Osaka snarled.

"You had to be made to see," said Erina. "I've watched you for a long time, Naru Osaka. All those monster attacks, Masato Sanjoin dying in your arms, that night you revealed your strength to Tsukino, I've seen all of it. You're possibly the greatest of this generation of Japan's mutants, Osaka. If anyone can help lead them into a better future, it's you. Who else? The once and future princess of the Moon, who left you by the wayside?" Erina forced herself not to grin as Osaka grit her teeth. _That's it, hit every raw nerve,_ she told herself. _It'll be a shame to let the world lose a brain like mine, but I have to see to it it's splattered NOW._

"Forget her, forget her new friend in the wheelchair, forget Magneto..." Osaka hissed. "I won't be _ANYONE'S_ pawn! Not anymore!"

"Good girl," Erina said, smiling with bloodied lips. "I see now it was foolish to think you could be herded along any path. And what happened to your mother demands justice, even if you have to take that justice for yourself, correct? Mayumi Osaka's death was a tragedy, and I can never see those scales balanced. Balance them yourself. Do as you must."

Again, Osaka simply stared for a moment. She was close to doing the deed. Erina could practically feel her fist smashing through her skull. "I don't suppose you'll tell me where your nephew is before I rip your head off?" Osaka asked delicately.

Erina shook her head. "Wouldn't let him tell me where he scampered off to."

"Then I guess there's no reason to keep you alive," Osaka said coldly.

Finally, the girl was seeing sense. "Then as I said, balance the scales. Do as you must," Erina repeated with a tone of finality. It didn't matter if Tsukino or Osaka killed her. The damage was done, tensions in Japan were ripe for Lehnsherr to come in and persuade Japan's mutants to rise. Osaka wouldn't join them, but Lehnsherr could console himself with how the need to deal with a certain _Homo sapien_ was at an end. He would see to it that Japan's mutants would rise up, and in doing so perhaps crush Tsukino's spirit for good. Nothing else mattered. Knowing this, Erina could die fulfilled.

"Oh I will," spat Osaka, tears streaming down her face. She pulled one hand back and clenched it into a fist. Erina refused to look away, or even close her eyes.

She only shut them when a pleading voice cried out, "Naru, don't do this!" Erina grit her teeth in frustration, wondering if Tsukino would ever stop screwing up her life, even when it was supposed to end.

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Naru slowly turned her head, her fist still raised, itching to smash it through Kizachi's ugly, bloody face. Sailor Moon and Wolverine were just emerging through some trees a good twenty meters away. More of the X-Men and Sailor Senshi would be right behind them. Cable could effortlessly stop her with telekinesis. Or Storm, Jupiter, Iceman or Mercury could cripple her with their elemental power. She had to act fast, or her one chance for revenge would slip away.

"Stay out of this, Sailor Moon! Kizachi is _MINE!_ " Naru roared, lashing out with tendrils. Moving like liquid lightning, Wolverine slashed them apart.

"Can't do that, darlin'," said Wolverine. "Kizachi probably deserved the beating you no doubt gave her, but the line's gotta be drawn at murder."

"Says who!?" demanded Naru. "You're the _GAIJIN_! Who're _YOU_ to tell me I can't take justice with my own two hands!?"

"He's someone who has lived many lifetimes, and has much wisdom to share, Naru," came Storm's voice from above. Naru turned, trembling as the X-Men's leader gently lowered herself down. One wrong move, one twitch, and a bolt of lightning would blast her away from Kizachi. Even worse, Iceman was closing in on an ice slide, and Gambit was with him. Then, more of the X-Men and Sailor Senshi emerged from the trees, though Cable was nowhere to be seen. Naru just stood there, frozen, still pinning Kizachi against the back of the van.

"This Cajun's seen quite a bit, too," Gambit chimed in. "I've been livin' with plenty o' guilt, knowin' I had a hand in mass murder. Killing with your bare hands... That ain't gonna be as easy to live with as you think, Naru. We all know that whole Eclipse thing was a façade. The girl behind the goop ain't what you made her out to be."

"I wasn't prepared to kill as Eclipse before, but I am now!" Naru cried. She looked back to Kizachi, who just kept staring at her, smiling, as if to egg her on. It would be so easy. Just throw a punch before any of the Senshi or X-Men could blast her. Her mother was dead because of her, she was responsible for the Sentinels, all the anti-mutant hysteria. Kizachi didn't deserve mercy from anybody! And yet, her fist trembled. Feeling all those eyes on her... Somehow, Naru couldn't throw that punch, end the threat forever.

Naru's head turned again when she heard footsteps draw near. Her heart leaped into her mouth when she saw Mercury approaching. Yet for some reason, she wasn't prepping an attack. "Naru, listen to me... Kill Kizachi, and you give her exactly what she wants."

"Oh shut up," spat Kizachi. "You're the teen genius, but what do you _REALLY_ know about me, Mizuno?"

Mercury's gaze had been soft, but hardened as she looked to Kizachi. Naru could sense hesitation from Mercury, but at length she said, "That you're dying of cancer, and you no doubt want to go out in a blaze of glory."

Naru looked back to Kizachi in disbelief, then back at Mercury. "Y-Y-You're lying," she said weakly.

"No, Naru. We'll never keep anything from you again," said Mercury. "I... got hold of Erina Kizachi's medical records. She was diagnosed with stomach cancer over a year ago. It's terminal. She's only got about another year, if that. You only have to wait, and the world will be rid of her. Kill Kizachi now, and you become a murderer for nothing, Naru."

Naru looked back at Kizachi in disbelief, mouth agape, the tears still flowing. "It's true," Kizachi finally said. "How ironic. What gives you, and gave my daughter, such power is what's killing me..."

That mocking tone in her voice... Cancer or no, Naru was still ready to put her out of her misery. Still, all those eyes fixed on her stayed her hand. Why? She just did them all a favor, jumping into that battle with Mastermold! Without her, Kizachi might have won! But was Gambit right? Was killing someone who was defenseless not that easy, or was she just weak?

While she wrestled with these questions, some of the Senshi were getting restless. "That's it, I'm not taking chances," Naru heard Venus say. "Venus Love-Me..."

"No, Venus!" cried Mars. Naru heard someone being shoved to the ground hard. "This has got to end here. Naru has to once and for all choose her path."

Naru wasn't exactly humbled by Mars's trust in her. And it might have been misplaced. Even though it was dawning on Naru that Kizachi wanted to be pulped, a burning desire to do so still raged in Naru's heart. And yet, she still couldn't bash her face in and be done with it.

Worse, more interlopers arrived on the scene. Naru and Kizachi turned toward the sound of more people moving through the foliage, to the left of the van. That man who arrived with those troops, this 'Nick Fury', led a group of men, guns drawn. She-Hulk and Sunfire were with him as well. Naru's English was good enough to discern most of what Fury was saying: "Walters, care to tell your client she'll make your job impossible if she splatters Kizachi's brains all over that van?"

"Please, Ms. Osaka, do not dirty your hands with the blood of one so dishonorable," pleaded Sunfire. "Did you not hear my plea to you? Don't let yourself be deceived as I once was."

"I heard it all, Sunfire! And I don't care!" Naru shrieked, more to herself than at Sunfire, privately cursing her weakness. Was it weakness? She looked back into Kizachi's mocking, chalky eyes, and found that desire to pound her rising once more. "You think she'll pay for her crimes? Half the people of Japan must look to her as a hero for building these Sentinels to round up our kind!"

"And if you remember what we showed you, Naru, killing Kizachi could make her a martyr and trigger something worse down the road," said Shadowcat.

"Furthermore, Fury has filled me in," said Sunfire. "Sailor Venus's old Interpol contacts have been working with S.H.I.E.L.D., building their case even as Jennifer Walters works on yours. They have compiled enough evidence against Kizachi to ensure she will not elude justice. She _WILL_ face the consequences, her name _WILL_ be shamed for generations! But only if you choose not to stoop to murder and make her a martyr!"

Naru kept her eyes locked on Kizachi's. She kept smiling the whole time, wanting her to do it. Naru's fist kept shaking, unable to throw that punch. Shouldn't she? Was this all a ruse? No, probably not. She knew nothing about Nick Fury or She-Hulk, but Sunfire was too honorable to lie like that, wasn't he?

More rustling, this time from the right of the van. Dozens of meters away, Sailor Moon's 'backup' emerged. The ones who kept the Sentinels off the X-Men and Senshi's backs so they could topple Mastermold.

"Aw great, I don't like the looks of this!" grumbled that redheaded girl with the pigtail. There was also some black piglet clinging to her shoulder. She hurled herself at Naru with astonishing speed, some sort of energy building up in her hands. That little winged girl who fancied herself an X-Man flew at Naru as well.

And then, they were bounced back by some invisible barrier. That piglet squealed loudly in protest, and that little girl screamed, " _HOE!?_ " Lum and the rest looked down at them in confusion.

Naru noticed some bright light permeating the forest's gloom. She turned in its direction, fearing she knew exactly who showed up last. Indeed, Cable was just bodysliding in, but to Naru's horror, Umino was materializing with him.

"I figured if you're all set to mete out justice for yourself, and you seem so proud of it, you'd want the man you love to see it," said Cable gruffly. "So go on, Naru, show your boyfriend how tough you are. Go on and kill a defenseless, normal human in cold blood."

 _Oh, you're a cruel one, Cable,_ Naru cursed silently. She turned away from Umino's horrified gaze in tears, but could still feel his eyes upon him, along with everyone else's. Her desire to see Kizachi pay here and now, not wait for cancer to eat her alive, was as strong as ever. Because of this woman, she lost her mother, her old life, everything! Despite Sunfire's assurances about what Nick Fury was doing, could she really trust humans to punish one of their own?

"Naru," Sailor Moon said softly. Everyone else had such adamance in their voices, but Sailor Moon almost sounded conciliatory. "You've heard it all, why you shouldn't do this. There's nothing anyone else can say to convince you. All this time, I've been dreading you becoming the bad guy, trying to figure out how to stop it. But at the end of the day, you have to choose for yourself. I won't ask you to forgive me for my mistakes, Naru, but please don't make another big mistake yourself."

Sailor Moon's hands were clasped together, pleading, as tears streamed down her face. More tears flowed down Naru's own. She looked back to Kizachi, fist still trembling. That smirking face, goading her into busting it up for good. That smirk from the one responsible for her mother's death, for outing her as a mutant.

But she could also feel Umino's gaze upon her back, and the stares of Sailor Moon's recruits who chose to believe there was good in the dreaded Eclipse. Three of those girls even had black goop on their faces! And then there was Sailor Moon herself. Just one last heartfelt plea, from someone who just wanted her friend back. After everything she had done, Sailor Moon was still willing to forgive. Naru had been convinced revenge was all she had left, that all her bridges were burned. Weren't they?

With a fearsome shriek, Naru drove her first forward, but not before she hurled Kizachi's battered, broken body back at the Senshi. Her fist smashed into the back end of the van. Shrieking and sobbing, Naru kept pounding on the van, reducing it to scrap. The sounds of its decimation ripped through the forest, along with wails of fury and sorrow. The tires popped off as glass shards sprayed everywhere. Once nothing was left but a pile of twisted metal, she kicked it away. It sailed through the trees as Naru fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.

Naru could still feel all those eyes on her, but she didn't care. She thought she had cried herself silly back on top of Tokyo Tower, but no. There was still more to get out. Naru wasn't sure how long she knelt there on her knees, sobbing. And at first, she wasn't aware that Sailor Moon knelt beside her, cradling her.

"That's it, Naru. Just let it all out," Sailor Moon whispered softly. Naru couldn't even muster the will to fling her away. If she was to be honest with herself, didn't exactly want to. Sailor Moon hugged her closer and Naru cried even more.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The sun finally began to rise over the forest, casting a glow where darkness once again reigned after Storm's rain extinguished all the fire. The morning light revealed how a good chunk of the forest was devastated. Though the fires had been put out, the charred and mangled remains of trees could be seen everywhere. Scattered throughout the forest were also the remains of Kizachi's Mastermold, along with whatever Sentinels were still standing after the Sailor Senshi blew it away and shut them all down. Yet there was no sign of the X-Men, the Sailor Senshi, or their recruits. And most importantly, no sign of Naru Osaka.

S.H.I.E.L.D., however, was a different story. After their arrival, S.H.I.E.L.D. had toiled to clean up the mess and preserve the evidence to be used against Erina Kizachi. Instead of running off to find Naru, She-Hulk had elected to stay behind and help with that.

All to the chagrin of someone watching from behind the charred remains of a tall tree, staring at the downed Mastermold. "Ugh, there was no getting into whatever was under that mansion after it caved in," spat a high-pitched, feminine voice. She wore a black suit that covered her from the neck down, and the shadows hid her face quite well. But with dawn coming, it was getting riskier to linger there. "If what I'm looking for was in Mastermold, there's no way I'm getting past all these S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and She-Hulk unnoticed..."

As if to emphasize that point and mock her further, several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were sweeping the area, coming dangerously close to the tree. She ducked back behind it. When she peeked out again, the agents were gone, but she could still see Nick Fury lingering close to Mastermold. She could cleave him in half easily, or at least she'd like to think so. Fury had quite a reputation for being difficult to sucker, and She-Hulk was currently inside Mastermold. She wasn't quite ready to pit her power against strength like She-Hulk's, at least not yet.

Suddenly, She-Hulk emerged from Mastermold and dropped down next to Fury. Her heart thundered in her chest when she saw what She-Hulk was holding. _That's it! The Babylonian artifact!_ she thought angrily, longing to just reach out and grab it. But no, even if all these S.H.I.E.L.D. agents weren't around, Nick Fury and She-Hulk would be a difficult pair to fight past.

"Well, this certainly looks out of place," said She-Hulk. "Any idea what we should do with this, Fury?"

Fury stared at it for a moment. "If I had my way, Jen, ship it to the Baxter Building right away so Richards can lock it behind some forcefield. Or maybe have Strange bury it in some alternate dimension."

She-Hulk looked down at the artifact, puzzled. "Aren't we overreacting a wee bit? We're in the midst of a bunch of deactivated Sentinels, and you're worried about some dusty old artifact?"

"I talked to some of them Senshi before they took off with the X-Men," said Fury. "From what I gather, this must be what drew them to the forest. Some weird 'resonance' with that spooky old mansion. Something even Kizachi was unaware of. Whatever freaky-ass thing this artifact's supposed to do, I'd rather not find out."

 _One thing's for sure, Fury is nobody's fool. I'll remember that,_ she thought, frustrated beyond belief. The artifact was right there, but she didn't dare make a grab for it. Even if she was confident about overpowering those two, she couldn't risk discovery. _I can't risk Essex knowing that I've stuck around in Japan this long, that I've got an agenda of my own,_ she thought bitterly, scowling. But then she reached into a backpack nestled against the base of the tree. She pulled out two glass jars, one with some writhing plant matter, the other with these buzzing, sparking nanomachines. _But at least I've got a consolation prize,_ she thought with a grin.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Down below, life went on as normal in Tokyo, almost as if the whole country hadn't just been upended. It was sickening, flabbergasting and somehow comforting all at once, seeing some sense of normalcy prevail. A normalcy that would now forever elude Naru, however.

Once again, Naru looked down from her perch atop Tokyo Tower. This was fast becoming her comfort zone, the place she teleported to when she wanted to clear her head, though it was an enigma why. The midday sun beat down on the city, all the people down there oblivious. She could never go through Tokyo as simply Naru Osaka again. She would forever be seen as Eclipse, feared and despised. Did she like coming up here because it put her so far above them? Or to stay a good distance away from the people who feared her?

So many questions she had been forced to confront, and so far, answers eluded her. Sighing, Naru sat back down, reaching into the topmost pizza box. She had just bought several, and had every intention of eating every single one. Naru was still dreadfully hungry after losing so much of her oil slick.

Naru looked down at Tokyo again, then at her slice. It was a rather large one, forcing Naru to fold it up before taking a bite. _I remember hearing the pizza slices over in New York City are oversized like this one,_ Naru mused as her gaze drifted back over the buildings and traffic flowing between them. How different was that city from this one? How much were they alike? Xavier's school wasn't all that far from New York City, she recalled. She was given the chance to go there, see it herself, along with so much of the world. Was that offer still open to her?

Did part of her actually still want that? Days after helping to destroy Mastermold, Naru still wasn't quite sure what she wanted now. Did she still want revenge? No, that burning desire had faded, to a point. Sunfire and Nick Fury had spoken the truth. Erina Kizachi was arrested, and was being held in a prison infirmary on a litany of charges. At least, that was what the papers told her.

Next to the stack of pizza boxes was a stack of newspapers. Still scarfing down that huge slice, Naru reached for the topmost newspaper. For several days, the whole sordid affair had been plastered on the front pages. Erina Kizachi's scheming had been laid bare. Her yakuza connections, her suspected complicity with Magneto, everything.

Next came a foreign paper, which she could skim through since she wasn't too bad with English. Naru smiled at an editorial in this 'Daily Bugle.' "Wow, this Jameson guy doesn't mince words. You wanted Japan to face a reckoning, Kizachi? You got your wish. Now everyone has to own up to how they were duped by you," Naru muttered in between bites of pizza. "Of course, I guess I do too..."

She had finished that first pizza and went for the next box. Naru kept reading papers as she tore through another pizza. Occasionally, though, she would glance back down at the city below. The loss of her old life... How much was Kizachi's fault, and how much was her own? So much of Kizachi's scheming was done to get her to lose control. Who was most at fault? Kizachi for baiting that trap, or her for eventually biting, again and again?

And more importantly, could there be anything done to make up for all that? Did she even want to?

Her heart still ached with grief. She had lost so much, and the wounds were still raw. Looking down at all the people below, Naru wondered just how many were receptive to Sailor Moon's plea, and how many would refuse to give her a second chance. She thought of Sailor Moon, how she just cradled her as she bawled and bawled like the emotional wreck she was. She had berated her old friend for being weak and useless, but she weathered far worse trauma without losing hope. Usagi found it within her to forgive her, and went out of her way to convince many more to give her another chance.

And to hear Usagi tell it, by refusing to kill Kizachi, she proved worthy of that trust. But was that enough? Would Umino ever take her back? If she wanted it after all, would the X-Men take her in? According to Makoto, it was what her mother would've wanted, but she also warned that she was letting that opportunity slip away.

Naru was so wrapped up in her doubts, she almost didn't notice a sudden intrusion. Sighing, she set down her pizza and her newspaper. "I though you and Xavier still couldn't track me with telepathy or Cerebro," Naru grumbled. She turned to Cable, who must have just used a bodyslide, and was hovering with his telekinesis.

"Professor Xavier had some theories as to why that is, thus we've gotten a bit better at it," said Cable gruffly.

"So, are you here to haul me in after I slipped away?" Naru asked directly. "Kizachi facing the music hasn't made the charges against me go away."

"No, they haven't," said Cable. "But Sailor Moon was willing to let you make the choice back there, just as the professor is now."

"After everything everyone told me, it was an easy choice to make," said Naru. "Kizachi having terminal cancer and _WANTING_ to be put out of her misery, S.H.I.E.L.D. having a solid case against her... It would've been foolish to do her any favors. Oh yeah, and that was a low blow by the way, teleporting Umino in like that."

"It worked, didn't it?" said Cable, without a hint of regret.

"I suppose it did," said Naru dryly, before looking back down at the city.

"Have you... spoken with him since that night?" Cable asked delicately.

Naru shook her head, the question stabbing at her heart. "I couldn't really look him in the eye after he saw what I was about to do," she admitted. "And I'm sure the feeling was mutual. I haven't spoken to any of the Senshi, either. What is there to say? They don't hate Eclipse anymore, but the things I've done to them, especially Usagi..."

"You're feeling remorse, though. That shows Usagi's hope wasn't misplaced," said Cable.

"Wasn't it?" Naru kept gazing down at Tokyo's streets. "I kept telling myself what I did was nothing like what those Acolytes did at that hospital. You X-Men and Senshi could take a beating. And besides Kizachi, I only hurt humans in self-defense or to deter the yakuza. Well, except Usagi's parents. And Ms. Haruna, but she's still on my side anyway, that crazy woman..."

"But again, it sounds like you've slowly come to regret what you've done," said Cable. "The Acolytes? Don't really see that happening. Like I said, Usagi was right to believe there's hope for you yet."

"Hope," Naru repeated dubiously, still unable to look Cable in the eye again. Instead, she looked down at the newspapers. "Maybe her hope for the rest of Japan wasn't misplaced, either. Our entire government, all the people swept up in the paranoia... Kizachi got the reckoning she wanted. Her being exposed has done more to splash cold water in everyone's face than even Sailor Moon's broadcast did."

"It wasn't easy for her to hang on to hope, but it was important that she did," said Cable. "It helped rekindle the X-Men's own hopes in turn, and inspired people without a single strand of mutant DNA to fight with her."

"And me," Naru added, looking at the pictures on the front of one paper. Hundreds of people, all with black goop on their faces. Even with Kizachi exposed and her Sentinel program buried, they weren't staying silent. "Usagi accused me of seeing only the ugliness in humanity as a whole. She said I was ignoring the potential for good that remained. She was right all along. I thought she was being weak, naïve. And I thought I was weak back there, for not being able to bash Kizachi's face in. But now..."

"We helped make sure you didn't make the wrong choice, that's all," said Cable. "But now, I take it you're wondering how to go on and do the right thing."

"Helping the Senshi blow away Mastermold can't make up for everything I did to them, we both know that," said Naru. "And it doesn't exactly make me an X-Man either, what my mother was hoping for. So what now? Where do I go from here?"

"The choice of whether or not to pulp Erina Kizachi... That had to be yours," said Cable. "What comes next has to be your own as well. What I've just heard from you, though... I'm also guessing Usagi isn't as naïve as others think."

And with that, Naru heard Cable bodyslide away from Tokyo Tower. She didn't even turn to see him go. Instead, she looked back down at the city again, trying to decide her next move.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Things hadn't returned to normal. By now, Ikuko was well aware things would never return to what she considered 'normal.' Yet somehow, over the last few days, Ikuko slowly realized she could live with the changes, as difficult as they were.

At the moment, her family was still living in the Hikawa Shrine. The X-Men requested they stay, until they could be certain Magneto and his forces had pulled their stake out of Japan following Kizachi's capture and arrest. Her heart thundered every time she thought of how her little girl came face-to-face with that monster.

 _But she survived,_ Ikuko reminded herself. _And then you told her to go face those Sentinels head-on, and she survived that too._ After seeing for herself what Sailor Moon could do, so many times, Ikuko grudgingly admitted that her daughter could walk away from just about anything. _It makes following Xavier's advice a lot easier, knowing that. Just be a mother to her..._

Back at that protest march, she had only half-believed it would work. Ikuko only slathered that gunk on her face and went with it because she had no better option. And it tore at her to mouth to Usagi to go fight more of those mechanical monsters, to let Usagi know her mother stood behind her even then. But her daughters and her fellow Senshi and those X-Men all pulled through. They taught Erina Kizachi a lesson, forced all of Japan to face a hard truth, and her daughter was going back to being the sprightly, carefree girl she remembered.

It was enough to put Ikuko's mind at ease as she went about her business in the shrine that evening. It may not be their home, but Ikuko would make sure they left it in better condition than they found it. As she went on mopping the main hall, she suddenly heard shouting form Rei's room.

Ikuko set aside her mop and went over to investigate. As she suspected, her daughter and Rei were in the middle of an argument. All the while, Lockheed was perched at the foot of Rei's bed, watching them. "No Usagi, I told you you don't get to read this new manga until I'm done with it!" Rei shouted, keeping it out of Usagi's reach.

"Aw, Rei, you big meanie!" Usagi protested as she tried to grab for the manga again.

Usually, this sort of behavior would just make Ikuko sigh, and make her wonder if Usagi would ever grow up. But seeing Usagi so close to her old self made her chuckle instead, alerting the girls to her presence.

"Uh, Mama, I was just, that is..." Usagi began. Both she and Rei looked quite chastised.

"I just can't wrap my head around why you two would be fighting over a manga, when the stuff you just went through as Senshi is like something straight out of a manga," said Ikuko, smirking. Lockheed suddenly snickered. "Or American comics, come to think of it," Ikuko added.

Usagi finally detangled herself from Rei. "Y'know, never thought of it that way..." Ikuko walked over and pulled Usagi close for a hug while she was distracted. "Uh, Mama, what's with..."

"What, still too soon after my daughter gets shot at by hordes of giant killer robots and survives?" Ikuko quipped. "Just promise me you can keep walking away from things like that, and I think I can handle all this Senshi craziness just fine."

"Oh don't worry, Ms. Tsukino. I've gotten quite adept at pulling Usagi's fat out of the fire. Over and over and over again," said Rei with a grin. Ikuko chuckled when she heard Usagi groan.

Thankfully, before it could escalate into an argument, they heard Kenji come through the shrine's front entrance. "Hello? Anyone home?"

The three of them walked back into the main hall to greet him, Lockheed fluttering close behind. "Papa! How was work today?" Usagi cried enthusiastically.

"It just keeps getting better and better, Usagi," said Kenji. "The more people I interview for our magazine's story, the more it's obvious just how much it's sunk in that Japan was taken for a ride."

"Wow, Mr. Tsukino. After waiting all this time for the chance to do articles about mutant relations, I bet it's like you don't know where to begin," said Rei. But suddenly, Rei tensed. Lockheed suddenly seemed more restless as well.

Ikuko was about to ask what the problem was, but then there was a voice that made her blood run cold. "If he's having trouble, I can probably help with that."

Ikuko slowly turned toward the voice. Standing at the far end was Naru, wearing her old school uniform. She stood in a corner, partially shrouded in darkness. She kept gazing at the floor, as if unable to look any of them in the eye. That day in the park, she seemed unstoppable. Now, Naru looked so small and vulnerable, standing there in shadow.

"Naru! You're... back!? Where've you been these last few days?" Usagi asked breathlessly. Ikuko wished she could share her daughter's joy, but she wouldn't soon forget how Naru threatened to crush her arm. There were still dangerous mutants in the world who thought little of the rest of humanity. Where did Naru stand now?

Lockheed flew over to that corner, hovering in front of Naru. Naru briefly looked up to the little dragon, then her eyes went back to the floor, unwilling to meet even Lockheed's gaze. "I've been... thinking, Usagi. About where I go from here. Cable found me earlier today, and... Well, I've reached a decision."

"What... kind of decision?" Ikuko snapped dubiously.

"Mama, come on!" Usagi pleaded. "Naru obviously isn't here to pick another fight."

"But why are you here?" asked Rei. "You say you've made a decision? Does it involve us?"

"In a way, I guess it does." Naru willed herself to look Kenji in the eye. "Your wife's right to be suspicious after what I did. I'm... here to make it right. I'll start by giving you something, Mr. Tsukino."

"Give me something?" Kenji sounded dubious as well.

"An exclusive for your magazine, the story of the year." Ikuko wondered what the girl was getting at. At this point, Ikuko figured nothing could shock her, but Naru's next words almost floored her. "Eclipse turning herself in."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Night had finally fallen, and Naru knew that at the bottom of the steps leading up to the shrine, it was a media circus. Police, television reporters and huge crowds anxiously awaited. But for now, as she promised Kenji Tsukino, she was all his for an interview. Usagi told her he was the one who wrote the newspaper story telling all of Japan about the X-Men's first battle with Magneto. It seemed fitting to let him write this up.

"I still can't pin down one major reason I'm doing this. I guess it's mostly to make sure my mother's memory isn't tarnished forever. I let anger take control of me, and wouldn't listen to the people who last saw her and told me what she hoped I'd do." As Kenji wrote all that down, she looked up from the floor to the pair of brunettes with ponytails. She reached down to turn off the tape recorder Kenji was using. "Off the record, you two are serious? She was really hoping I'd become an X-Man?"

"I wouldn't lie about that, Naru," said Kitty. "I know I lost my head when it looked like you were about to join Magneto, but I just wanted to keep you from doing something I knew you'd regret later."

"But hey, if you're having doubts about that, the Senshi could still use you," Makoto said with a grin, earning an amused glare from Kitty. "I mean, there's no rule saying only I can be the muscle."

"There's no telling if you'll be able to join either team anytime soon," said Rei. "Naru, turning yourself in, even with She-Hulk as your defense lawyer... Are you sure this is the right choice?"

"No. But just about everyone in Japan is taking a good, long look in the mirror right now. Now, it's my turn," said Naru. "It's... the only way I'll be able to look the people I've hurt in the eye ever again."

"Methinks you're underestimatin' how forgiving the people in your life can be," came a voice from the front entrance.

"Remy? Where were you?" asked Usagi.

"Had to go fetch someone before the fuzz comes for Naru." Despite his carefree tone, there was no masking his wariness of the authorities.

Still, Naru only half-heard Remy, gazing at the floor again. Her head jerked up when the one with Remy spoke. "Naru? Are you really doing this?"

Her jaw dropped as she looked to the front entrance. There, standing beside Remy, was Umino. Amazingly, he looked just as reluctant to meet her gaze as Naru was to meet his. "Umino!? You've... come back!?"

"Of... course I did, Naru," said Umino softly. "If you're going through with this, I'll stick by you. I mean, if you want me to..."

Naru said nothing, completely nonplussed. Even after coming to this decision, she wondered if this would even begin to make a difference. Here, at least, was some proof it would. Naru slowly rose from her chair and made tepid steps toward Umino. He finally looked up at her, and let her scoop him up in a hug. She tried to make sure it wasn't too tight, but seeing Umino again flooded her with joy. Tears of joy, in turn, streamed down her cheeks. "U-U-U-Umino, I'm sorry for what I put you through. I was just so afraid that... No, there's no justifying any of it."

Umino hugged her back. "You don't need to," was all he said.

"Hopefully the authorities'll let you ride with her, _mon ami_ , 'cause it looks like Eclipse's ride is here," said Remy suddenly.

Naru looked up, blinking back tears. Several police officers had just stepped into the shrine, but they weren't alone. She felt a bit of relief seeing Jennifer Walters ducking through the entryway. She now wore professional attire befitting an attorney, instead of that leotard. Naru wondered how much it cost to get a custom suit tailored for someone her size. And did she need heels when she was so ridiculously tall already? Nick Fury was also there, also sporting a suit underneath that longcoat. Lastly, Sunfire stood among them, stoic as always, arms folded. "Wait, what are you three doing here?" Naru asked.

"I've been asked to escort the convoy to its destination, to make sure there are no complications," said Sunfire gruffly. With the way Sunfire eyed the police, it was obvious he wasn't anticipating trouble from Naru.

"And I am your attorney after all," said Walters. "I'm hoping to discuss your case with you as soon as possible."

"And me? Just along for the ride," said Fury airily. The X-Men seemed a little wary of him, as if they were used to him being secretive. Whatever his role was, he wouldn't divulge it easily.

Still, Naru felt a bit more at ease with these three and Umino sticking by her. "Well, thank you, Fury. By the way, your Japanese and Ms. Walters's sounds a lot better now."

"Well, we both knew a little before. But our mutual wheelchair-bound buddy gave us some pointers," said Fury.

Naru grinned, but then those police officers stepped closer. She shuddered, wondering if the ones she put in the hospital were among their friends. One of them had this weird, bundled-up hazmat suit that looked to be composed of some metal mesh.

"Put this on," said the officer brusquely, unfolding it and opening it up for her to step in.

Naru stared at it, guessing it was some means to contain her powers. He glanced over at her friends. Makoto and Remy, in particular, looked incensed. Given the trouble they had with the authorities, that was hardly a surprise. But it was her in the hot seat. She was willingly facing the consequences now.

Sighing, she stepped into the suit as other officers secured the headpiece over her and sealed it up. "This metal mesh is too strong for even you to break, Eclipse," said that officer matter-of-factly. "And if you try to squeeze that goo out from the air supply, or try to zap yourself somewhere else... You try _ANYTHING_ , you get hit with an electric shock that could stop a wooly mammoth's heart. Understood?" Naru listened to the sound of her breath echoing in that headpiece for a moment, then nodded.

Then another officer fastened metal shackles over her arms connected by a series of rods, going up past her elbows. Then she was directed to step into metal boots connected by short chains, which would make it tough to kick down anything. These restraints had to be made of titanium alloy of something, if they were confident they could hold the dreaded Eclipse. Not that she had any intention of trying to escape.

The officers rattled off the list of crimes she was charged with. Dozens of cases of aggravated battery, assaulting police officers, resisting arrest, property damage, kidnapping... _The X-Men must have a lot of faith in She-Hulk if they think she can get me off with a rap sheet like this,_ Naru thought as the officer droned on, tearing up again. But she also caught bits of a conversation between Remy and Fury.

"So, you talk to Summers yet?" Remy asked.

"Finally caught him yesterday. He was happy to offer some insight," Fury whispered back. "Hopefully, we can locate Wilson and bag Diamond-Forehead for you."

Naru had no idea what that was all about. She had more immediate concerns anyway. The officers ordered her to go down the steps, slowly. As if she could sprint with these shackles on. She was ready to go, but typically of Usagi, she had to interject. "No! Why does she have to wear all that!? She's going willingly!"

Usagi threw herself past the officers, hugging Naru through the containment suit, crying. Naru wished she could hug her back one last time. "Usagi, please... I've got a good attorney and Sunfire looking out for me. I'll be fine." Usagi sniffed, then one of the officers pried her off. "Besides Usagi, it makes me feel better too, not just them. Keep my powers in check? Fine. Sometimes I'm still afraid I'll rip a door off its hinges again."

"Oh, I went through that too, Ms. Osaka," said Walters, looking down at Naru as she walked beside her. "You'll get the hang of it, eventually. When it comes to doors, all I still need to worry about is..."

Her voice trailed off just as she looked back up, but not in time to keep her forehead from smashing through the top part of the shrine's main entryway. Everyone paused for a moment, staring at her. Walters just froze, her face screwed up in annoyance. Finally, she said, "Someone tell that shrine maiden in there where she can send the bill for repairs."

They finally began the trek down the shrine's steps. Walters stayed beside her as the officers escorted her down. Fury, Sunfire and Umino were close behind. It wasn't long before Naru could see the massive crowd gathered on the street below. Police officers had to set up waist-high fences to keep people back. This ensured a clear path to the convoy meant to escort her to prison.

Naru just wanted to get into that armored car and go. This slow walk in that containment suit was humiliating. Even worse were the jeers from the crowd. Not everyone was taking the lesson of Kizachi's exposure to heart. But as she got closer to the convoy, Naru saw that the people on the right side... Most had black goo on their faces, still showing their solidarity! And they had protest signs showing their support for her! There were just as many of them as the ones here to spew vitriol at her! Perhaps they outnumbered them!

Finally, they reached the bottom of the steps. Naru looked to the right side again. There was that old man from the monorail, and the woman who emerged with him. And that little redhead with the braid who was among Sailor Moon's 'recruits'... She didn't have black gunk slathered on her face now, but Naru could tell it was her. And she could tell that little brown-haired girl was the one in that pink X-themed costume. A girl with long black hair beside her had a camcorder, recording everything. A guy with black hair stood over them, but his hair was done up in a pigtail similar to that redheaded girl from before. That boy with slicked-back hair stood with him. There was also a boy with brown hair, who Lum Invader was clinging to, looking on with a sad, bemused expression.

 _Most of them were there to see me nearly murder Kizachi,_ Naru thought. _What are they thinking now?_

Not everyone was held back behind those fences set up. The press was granted access. As Naru was escorted to her armored car, cameras and microphones were shoved in her face. Naru turned her head in tears and in shame. Giving Kenji Tsukino an exclusive interview was one thing, but this? Thankfully, other officers pried them away to give her some breathing room. Disapproving glares from Walters no doubt helped as well.

At last, she climbed into the back of that armored car. Umino, Walters, Fury and two police officers got in with her. Sunfire took to the air, aiming to fly above the convoy on its way to prison.

Naru heard the engine start up, and the transport lurched ahead. They were on their way. For long moments, Naru just stared at the floor through her containment suit's visor. It took a while to realize Umino had sat next to her. His arm was around her shoulders, but she hadn't felt it. Naru teared up a little more. Bad enough that physical sensation was dulled by her powers. Umino holding her didn't feel quite the same as before her mutant genes were triggered. Right now, she couldn't feel his touch at all. She wanted to right then, so badly. Naru feared she lost him forever, and if Walters couldn't make her case, she could lose him again.

As these thoughts plagued Naru, she suddenly got a sense that things were not quite right. There was some strange tingling in the suit that made her uneasy. That sense of wrongness got worse when the transport swerved and lurched to a halt.

"What the hell is going on out there!?" demanded Fury. He pressed something nestled in his ear.

"Getting anything from your S.H.I.E.L.D. buddies?" asked Walters.

"I'm not getting anything," said Fury. "That's a good clue as to what's going on out there." Fury seemed unshakable before, but his voice was etched with worry now.

"You mean, the transmission is being jammed?" asked Umino fearfully. "But what could, who could... Oh no..."

Naru had only seen Umino scared like this once before, but at first, couldn't recall when. When it finally clicked, a shiver went up her spine as well.

Suddenly, the taser-rifles those two officers were wielding were yanked from their hands. They floated in the air, aimed at them. At once, Walters sprang up to grab and crush them. Naru had instinctively stood up to do it herself, but of course, her restraints kept her from doing anything. But then, that containment suit was ripped off her by some invisible force, along with the restraints on her arms and feet.

The two officers stared at her with a mix of fear and anger. "I'm not doing this!" she cried out in protest. But she shivered again, knowing who could.

Behind her, Naru heard the transport's rear doors being ripped clean off. Her breathing coming in ragged gasps, Naru slowly turned around. Now she had a good view of what was happening outside.

It was utter chaos. Not too far from the armored car, Sunfire was lying on the street. His costume was torn, and he was clearly injured, blooding dribbling down from the shoulder he was cradling. The other vehicles in the convoy were either on fire or ripped into slags of twisted metal. Or both. Their occupants weren't much better off than Sunfire. Some officers were dragging their companions to safety. They did so just in time. The remains of the convoy were flung away by some unseen force, to reveal who had come for Naru again.

"Ah, motherfucker..." grumbled Fury.

Naru said nothing, her throat closed up as she watched Magneto, flanked by his Acolytes and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, drawing closer.

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Thought I forgot about the Master of Magnetism, did you? Figured I might've been saving a big confrontation with Magneto for a sequel? Oh no, it should be painfully obvious who I'm setting up for a possible follow-up. There was no way my all-time favorite villain wouldn't get his chance to throw down on all the Sailor Senshi this time around. And he _WILL_ be the final obstacle Sailor Moon must overcome. It's been a long trek, but we're approaching the conclusion!

So long,

Grey-X


	34. Magnetic Personalities

**Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse**

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 34: Magnetic Personalities

8-26-2018

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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The four of them stepped out of the ruined transport as the mutants drew closer. Umino couldn't believe this was happening again. Magneto, the supervillain feared the world over, once again came out of nowhere for Naru. Last time he professed he only wished to speak with Naru, but had arranged another fight between her and Usagi. And that was only possible because Umino went along with seizing the Sentinels until the last second. Seeing Magneto now, Umino was more grateful than ever he made that difficult choice, avoided playing into his hands.

Magneto was disingenuous about his aims before, but now, there was no mistaking his intentions. He wasn't bothering with persuasion now. Coming for Naru with his army at his back? This was a show of force, pure and simple. He would have Naru, one way or another.

 _No, this can't be happening. He can't have her,_ Umino told himself. But how was he supposed to keep that from happening? He was supposed to be just as smart as Magneto, but his mind was blank from fear. Magneto might not be needlessly cruel to humans, most of the time, but his followers were another matter.

Nick Fury, however, was another story. He stood tall, ready to stand his ground, despite the hopeless odds. As Magneto drew closer, the Brotherhood and his Acolytes now hanging back, Fury muttered, "That's right, Mags. Come and get it." To Umino's horror, he pulled some sort of gun out of his coat.

"Fury, don't be an idiot," snapped Walters.

"Plastic gun, Shulkie," said Fury calmly. "I figured something like this could happen."

"So did just about everyone else assigned to the convoy. _AND_ Sunfire had their backs," said Walters. "Look what good it did them."

"Let's face it, people. We're seriously outgunned here," said Umino. He glanced over at Naru. Unsurprisingly, she was scared stiff, staring at Magneto in disbelief. A bit of anger pierced through Umino's fear. Naru finally saw reason, agreed to stand trial and accept responsibility, and most importantly trust in other people again. Now Magneto had to come back and muck everything up!

"I'd like to suggest a tactical retreat. But the X-Men tell me Osaka's teleporting power hurts passengers pretty bad, so it could kill Sunfire with the condition he's in," grumbled Fury. "Shulkie and Osaka power-leaping us away won't work either. Plenty of those mutants can follow us easy."

"You're probably right about that," said Naru. Her voice trembled a little, but suddenly, Naru stood a little straighter. There was a hardness to her gaze now. "So I'll have to fix things another way." With that, she began walking from the transport, toward Magneto.

Umino didn't hesitate to grab her wrist and pull her back. "Naru, are you nuts? You're going to try and fight Magneto and his entire army single-handedly?"

Naru shot him an amused glare. "I'm not that crazy, Umino. But he's clearly here for me. I have to handle this, mutant-to-mutant."

"Just how d'you intend to do that?" Fury demanded.

"Look, what they just did must've made Cerebro light up like a Christmas tree," said Naru. "If I can buy us some time until the X-Men and Sailor Senshi arrive, we might make it through this." Fury still didn't look convinced, so Naru went on. "If you want to help, Fury, tend to Sunfire. It looks like he was hurt pretty badly. And She-Hulk... Can you keep an eye on Umino, make sure none of those Acolytes snag him on the sly?"

"I'll... do what I can, Ms. Osaka," said Walters. Both Fury and Walters were obviously surprised by how Naru was keeping a cool head, taking command of the situation. But they couldn't see any flaws in her plan. Or at least, neither had a better one.

"Naru, please, be careful," Umino managed to get out. The thought of his girlfriend marching right up to that megalomaniac...

Naru flashed an uneasy smile. "Just... stick close to my lawyer, Umino. I'll be fine."

Umino nodded, fear gluing his tongue down. Fury knelt down to tend to Sunfire's injuries, while Umino could sense Walters looming over him. He stared helplessly as Naru walked over to handle things with Magneto face-to-face.

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Naru wasn't quite sure where this sudden burst of confidence came from, but it was already fading. Magneto had stopped his advance, his Acolytes and the Brotherhood a good distance behind him. There were only a few meters separating the two of them, now. But Naru cast nervous glances at those Acolytes. After seeing that video footage, she was deathly afraid of them getting anywhere near Umino.

And the other humans here on the streets... Naru looked around, seeing several of the injured police officers pulled to safety. All the pedestrians hanging back, watching fearfully. It still stung, how so many were clearly afraid of her too, not just Magneto and his forces. Naru knew it was up to her to shield them from harm, all the same.

 _This could quickly become a bloodbath if I don't play this right,_ Naru realized. It amazed Naru, how easily concern for these bystanders came for her. After letting go of some of that pent-up bitterness, she could finally see things more clearly. _Time to make Magneto see that I can never be part of his vision._

Finally, the two of them stood about a couple meters apart. Unlike before, Magneto kept his helmet on, most of his face draped in shadow. Naru gulped, then spread her arms, hoping she looked aloof. "Well, Magneto, was this destruction derby really necessary?" Naru demanded insouciantly. "I'm a big deal in the mutant community, I get it. But in case you didn't see the news, I kind of had other plans."

"Yes, needlessly throwing your life away, possibly letting your talent languish forever as you submit yourself to human law," said Magneto. There was a hint of contempt regarding her decision. "I cannot allow that. I tried that once, believing that allowing human justice to run its course would lead to better outcomes for our kind. Those hopes were cruelly dashed."

"Yeah, well, I've got this big green pile of muscle and brains in my corner for the trial, so I'll take my chances," said Naru. "Unless this was part of your plan. Make me look so bad by staging a rescue I didn't want, ensuring I'll be tried in the press."

"You give me took much credit, Ms. Osaka," said Magneto. "But perhaps you are right. I could have simply broken you out once you were incarcerated, seeing as how I just sprang someone else."

"Someone else?" repeated Naru. She looked past Magneto, at the small army gathered a good distance behind him. There, looking quite small and pathetic between Blob and the Kleinstocks, was Erina Kizachi. She was still in an orange jumpsuit, needing a sling to support her broken arm. Stitches and bandages covered her face, and she was without her special glasses. Those chalky eyes now lacked some of the spark from before. Naru glared at Magneto again, gritting her teeth. "Oh, _THAT'LL_ convince me. Break the one who did the most conspiring against me out of prison."

"She and I have unfinished business," Magneto said simply. "As do we. You said it yourself last time we met. You've seen too much of humanity's ugliness when faced with what they don't care to understand."

"And like Sailor Moon told me during that fight you and Kizachi arranged, there's beauty mixed in with the ugliness," Naru retorted. "I saw it for myself, when I was perp-walked from the shrine. There were just as many people turning out to show support for me as there were to vent at me, maybe more. I don't know how this is going to go, Magneto, where this will take me. But your antics have caused me enough grief already. What makes you think a display like this will make me more receptive?"

The aim was to keep him talking, drag this out until the X-Men and Sailor Senshi could surround them and hit hard. So far, it looked like it was working. So Naru went on. "And don't take this the wrong way, Lehnsherr, but I figured you were more confident of your power. Any special reason you need an entire army to back you up against one fellow mutant?"

Magneto remained calm, staring back at her through that helmet. "I've learned not to be so overconfident over the years," he said simply. "Besides, you're not exactly alone, either." He looked past her, and Naru followed his gaze. Fury still had his gun drawn. His coat must have been fireproof, since Walters tore it up for Fury to use as makeshift bandages and a sling for Sunfire. Fire roared around Sunfire's clenched fists. Walters kicked off her heels as Magneto glared at them, anticipating trouble.

She then turned to look over at Magneto's forces. They didn't exactly look laid back either. The one Naru figured was Exodus glared at Naru's group with glowing eyes, as if itching for Magneto to order a strike. The one called Random already had his arms transformed into blasters. Blob leered at her, cracking his knuckles, while Unuscione's psionic exoskeleton crackled with her insane fury.

 _The Senshi and X-Men won't make it. This standoff is too tense,_ Naru thought fearfully, turning back to her group. Fury, Walters and Sunfire still looked reluctant to stand down. Umino was standing just behind them, partially hidden from view. But as Naru squinted, she saw something else. Some creeping green mist, almost invisible in the nighttime gloom.

Naru's eyes widened, remembering what she heard about another Acolyte. "Sunfire, Amelia Voght's making a grab for Umino! Vaporize her!"

Sunfire immediately turned and unleashed a blazing volley at the green gas creeping up behind them. At the same time, Naru heard some of Magneto's army charge ahead. The fight was on. But Naru also spotted something further down the street that could help. Smirking, she teleported away. Then, upon seizing what she came for, made a huge leap back. And with a furious shriek, dropped down toward Magneto while brandishing a huge tree.

Magneto looked up, and that magnetic bubble sprang up around him. Naru swung the tree down, and it snapped apart as it made contact, making the whole street quake. But at least she was keeping Magneto occupied. So long as he wasn't lobbing metal objects at the others, they might hold out until backup arrived.

Walters was fending off Sabretooth and Blob, while Fury and Sunfire stuck close to Umino, slowly retreating as they fired back at Unuscione and Random. So far, they were holding out. Naru aimed to make sure they would keep doing so.

Her fingers dug into two sizeable pieces of the tree's remains, and she leaped at Magneto again. The street shook as she landed one powerful blow after another with the only things handy that Magneto couldn't readily affect. But though Naru struck with all her might, it didn't look like she was making headway. The barrier held. Magneto folded his arms as Naru kept pounding away, the chunks of the tree fragmenting into splinters.

"I am impressed with your quick thinking and sheer ferocity," said Magneto. "Sadly for you, as great as your power is, Naru Osaka, you're no match for me."

He thrust out an outstretched hand, and suddenly Naru felt an electric shock run through her. She was blasted back, her vision a blur. _Oh great, electromagnetism,_ Naru thought fearfully. _He can easily exploit one of my only weaknesses..._

Still, Naru wasn't about to give up. She glared up at Magneto, who was now hovering a few meters above the street. Naru unleashed a volley of black lightning, but that couldn't penetrate his shield either.

Magneto raised his hands, and the ruined vehicles from the convoy came alive. The few bystanders who had stayed behind, some taking pictures, now screamed and finally fled, seeing Magneto was getting serious. They were flung at Naru, one after another, with frightening speed. It was all Naru could do to punch them away. Worse, things like mailboxes, manhole covers, parking meters and lampposts were being ripped right out of the ground.

Naru had to use her tendrils to knock away all the things hurled at her like missiles. They were coming from all directions, putting Naru on the defensive. If Umino hadn't made her practice using her oil slick this way, Magneto would have clobbered her already.

She caught glimpses of how the fight was going for the others, and it wasn't good. There were just too many mutants to fight off. Toad snuck up on Fury, and flung him across the street with that freaky tongue. Frenzy powered through Sunfire's atomic flame and took him down with a single punch. And finally, Exodus blindsided Walters with a blast that looked like it could have obliterated Mount Fuji. She was still in one piece, but she toppled, screaming.

"She-Hulk, _NO!_ " Naru cried out.

"Walters will survive, Osaka," came Magneto's voice over the din of battle. "You'd best look out for yourself."

Something erupted from the asphalt around Naru. Power cables wrapped around her like serpents. They delivered a huge jolt of electricity, exacerbated by how her oil slick was out.

She screamed, the pain too much this time. The cables released her, letting her slump to the ground. Only for strips of metal wrested from the armored car, and parts of lampposts, to wrap around her. Naru summoned all her strength to break free, but Magneto sent another electromagnetic jolt through the scraps, making her scream again. It was finally too much. Naru felt herself drift away and her oil slick retract as Magneto levitated her bindings up toward him.

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Umino couldn't believe it. For a moment, it looked like Naru's plan would work. But once the Brotherhood and Acolytes attacked in earnest, Nick Fury, Sunfire and She-Hulk went down fast. Worse, that distracted Naru long enough for Magneto to blindside her. Now he had what he came for.

 _Hold on a minute. Aren't Hulks supposed to recover really quick, just like Wolverine?_ Umino thought. He had hidden under a parked cab far enough from the fight for Magneto to not bother with, on Fury's urging. Umino felt like a coward, but what could he do against any of these mutants? _You'd better figure out something, fast_.

He spotted Walters. She rose to one knee, gagging. Unfortunately, Exodus was still hovering over her, watching her warily. At least, until the Blob took it upon himself to knock her back down and pin her. By sitting on her.

Umino grimaced, then spotted something else amid the chaos. There, in the middle of the street, was Fury's plastic gun. He looked back up to Magneto. It didn't look like his shields were up anymore. If he could take him out, would that release Naru? And if She-Hulk could free herself, could they go another round together?

Before he could act on that thought, Umino heard a familiar voice cry out, "Hold it right there, Magneto!"

"Took you long enough, Usagi," Umino grumbled. Hopefully, that Sabretooth guy didn't hear him.

"Just as Naru was willing to see humanity wasn't so bad and take responsibility for everything she's done, you have to mess everything up again!?" From his vantage point, Umino couldn't see Sailor Moon. But with the way several of the Brotherhood and Acolytes were staring up at some rooftop, he figured she was standing over its edge, flanked by several Sailor Senshi. "Unforgivable, Magneto!"

Magneto looked more amused than anything else. "My dear, anyone ever tell you that alerting your enemy to your presence with such dramatic speeches is hardly sound tactics?"

"Yeah, Magneto, we'll admit that's kind of our thing," came Mars's voice. "But not theirs!"

That was when the X-Men struck, and struck hard. Lightning bolts rained down, courtesy of Storm, forcing the enemy to scatter and giving windows of opportunity for the others to attack.

Umino crawled out from under the cab for a better look. Colossus charged in and laid a haymaker on Blob's face, coaxing him to get off Walters and fight back. With an animalistic howl, Wolverine hurled himself at Sabretooth, just as Rogue launched herself at Magneto like a missile. A cement truck knocked her aside, but Iceman made a pass on his ice slide, with Gambit along for the ride. They both unloaded on Magneto, careful to not hit Naru. Toad leaped at them to knock them off, but Beast intercepted him in midair, roaring. Avalanche had hung back, but now used his power to make the street itself ripple and flow. He tried to take out Cable, who was forcing back Unuscione's psionic exoskeleton. He easily protected himself with telekinesis, while Shadowcat rose up behind Avalanche, taking him down with ridiculous ease.

And by then, the Sailor Senshi had joined in. Exodus was forcing back Venus's Crescent Beam and Neptune's Submarine Reflection. For the moment, he was occupied. Jupiter had Frenzy covered, tackling her hand-to-hand. Though Frenzy was much stronger, Jupiter was faster, and easily stayed one step ahead. Random was blasting away at Uranus and Mercury, at least until Uranus scored a direct hit with a blast from her sword. That made Random's torso explode into some icky, grey goo, and Mercury froze him in place with Shine Aqua Illusion. Tuxedo Kamen ducked and wove around the Kleinstocks, easily evading their clumsy swings and energy blasts. With a howl of fury, he struck one of their heads with his cane. Mystique had sprouted wings and took to the air. No doubt she intended to fire down from her vantage point. But whenever she wasn't avoiding an elemental assault from Storm, Chibi-Moon kept her occupied with flurries of pink hearts.

That left Sailor Moon and Mars to help take down Magneto. Mars used Burning Mandala to pelt his shields as Gambit and Iceman made another pass. The ice slide was shattered by some cars flung at it, but it looked like the fight was finally getting to Magneto.

Sailor Moon kept up the pressure. "Moon Gorgeous Meditation!" she howled, blasting away at Magneto's shields with her finisher. "Let go of Naru! _LET GO!_ " Sailor Moon demanded, keeping up the pressure. Mars also poured it on with Fire Soul. For a moment, it looked like those shields were faltering.

And Umino was stuck in the middle of all this chaos. Even when caught up in the Sailor Senshi's other fights, he never felt this helpless, this useless. He promised Naru he'd do everything he could for her, but without superpowers of his own, what was he supposed to do?

His eyes widening, Umino looked back to Fury's gun. For a moment, he hesitated. After everyone convinced Naru not to kill in cold blood, could he do this? But that was when Erina Kizachi posed no threat. This was in the middle of a firefight, with Naru's life on the line. His mind made up, he dove for the gun, then rushed over to get a better shot at Magneto.

A manhole cover flew out of nowhere, knocking Sailor Moon off her feet and the wind out of her. Mars, meanwhile, had to leap back to avoid getting flattened by a car. If he was to make this shot, it had to be now. Umino aimed up, and fired.

But as he feared, Magneto's shields were still up. The bullets, whatever they were made of, shattered into nothingness. Magneto slowly turned his head to glare down at him. With his face in shadow, Umino couldn't see much, but the look in Magneto's eyes turned his legs to jelly.

Worse, Umino's antics didn't go unnoticed by Magneto's followers. "Filthy little flatscan!" roared Frenzy. Umino turned to see Frenzy knock Jupiter aside, then charge at him. She grabbed and crushed Fury's gun with one hand, and hoisted Umino up by his neck with the other. "You _DARE_ think you can slay the savior of mutantkind so easily, human scum!?"

"Frenzy! The boy is not to be harmed! Understood!?" Magneto bellowed. Suddenly, a parking meter wrapped itself around Umino. He was pulled from Frenzy's crushing grip and levitated up into Magneto's shields with Naru. "We have the two we've come for! Voght, it's time to leave!"

"Not so fast, buckethead!" came Wolverine's raspy voice. Umino and Magneto both looked up to see Wolverine leaping down, arms spread and claws out.

"Logan, will you ever learn?" asked Magneto in a singsong voice. Umino gulped, realizing what would happen. With his powers, Magneto could control Wolverine like a puppet due to his adamantium skeleton. Thus, he easily flung Wolverine away. And to both Umino and Wolverine's horror, Magneto made it so his claws sank into She-Hulk's heart and intestines, just as she was leaping at Magneto.

The two of them skidded along the asphalt, stopping only when they collided with an overturned car. Walters had a look of utter shock on her face, while Wolverine looked horrified. That was the last thing Umino saw before the world became a haze of green gas, and he felt his very body drift away.

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For quite a while, Sailor Moon was on her knees, sobbing. She couldn't believe Magneto and his cronies got away with Naru and Umino so easily. Both teams came at them with everything they had, but they still slipped away. Just when it looked like Naru was seeing sense, Magneto had to come back and ruin things all over again, plus spring Erina Kizachi out of prison. He obviously still wanted Eclipse in his ranks. After those closest to her were once brainwashed, Sailor Moon didn't want to think of what Magneto could do to make that happen. It left a sickening feeling in her stomach. Well, that and Magneto lobbing a manhole cover there.

"He really was as tough as the X-Men said," Sailor Moon muttered as she rubbed her stomach. She was dimly aware of approaching sirens. Ambulances and more police were arriving on the scene. On top of that, television reporters were already there.

Sighing, Sailor Moon rose. Like it or not, she was still the face of the pushback against anti-mutant hysteria, and as always, the guardian of love and justice. Now that people in Japan were being made aware that Magneto was playing them through Kizachi, they would look to the Sailor Senshi for answers. Too bad, at the moment, she didn't have any.

She made her way over to the ambulances. In doing so, Sailor Moon passed by a female reporter who was facing a camera. "The convoy transporting Naru Osaka, better known as Eclipse, to prison was attacked by Magneto and his forces, aiming to free her. Eyewitness accounts say that instead of willingly going with him, Eclipse took it upon herself to fight Magneto off. She proved unsuccessful, and an attempt by the Sailor Senshi and X-Men to free her failed as well, leaving a scene of utter devastation along the street."

Sailor Moon looked down the street. All the metal objects Magneto took control of strewn about, the smashed walls, windows and asphalt... _Wow, superhero battles really can be destructive,_ she mused. _Too bad the Sailor Senshi have nothing to show for it._

Suddenly, that reporter called out her name, and she turned around. The next thing she knew, cameras and microphones were being shoved in her face. Reporters fired off questions so fast, Sailor Moon's brain couldn't keep up.

"Sailor Moon! Sailor Moon! What do you think Magneto wants with Eclipse!?"

"Can you confirm reports that Erina Kizachi was working with Magneto? Did he really want her to build and unleash those Sentinels!?"

"Are the Sailor Senshi worried, with the police around? Charges against the Senshi have yet to be dropped..."

"What about the X-Men? The Sailor Senshi were fighting them before. What made you take up their cause?"

"Do the Sailor Senshi intend to follow Magneto to retrieve Eclipse? Isn't he in space? Can the Sailor Senshi reach him there?

Sailor Moon's mind was blank. To think, once upon a time, she wanted desperately to be on television. Maybe even get her own anime. All she wanted right then was to slip away. "Well, err, uhh... I-I-I-I need to see to the people who were hurt, first," she got out. Sailor Moon turned and bolted, fuming at how some of the reporters were following. She passed by Cable and Colossus. Hopefully their presence would dissuade them from being so nosy.

Upon reaching the first ambulance, Sailor Moon saw Nick Fury sitting on the back bumper. His forehead was stitched up after being cut open, and he looked exhausted and humiliated. Compared to Sunfire, though, he was lucky. He was on a stretcher being loaded into that ambulance, but upon seeing Sailor Moon, he called for the paramedics to stop. "Sailor Moon, I must apologize... We could not protect your friend."

"It's OK, Sunfire," said Sailor Moon. "The odds were against you. There's no shame, not when you put up a fight like that."

"That's doubly true of Eclipse," said Sunfire. "You'll be happy to know she fought valiantly. I've seldom seen such courage, and it was clear she cared more about the people around her than herself. If you sought to save her soul, Sailor Moon, you succeeded."

 _But now, I just have to figure out how to save Naru PERIOD,_ Sailor Moon thought glumly. "Just worry about yourself for now, Sunfire." After he was loaded into the ambulance, she turned to Fury. "How about you?"

"I'll be fine. Princess Toadstool just blindsided me is all," said Fury aloofly. He stood to let the ambulance drive off. "Shulkie's the one I'm a bit worried about."

With the first ambulance gone, Sailor Moon could see another. Walters was about to be loaded onto it. Wolverine watched with shame in his eyes. Beast stood beside him, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, Shulkie's heart and belly got a hot adamantium injection, courtesy of Mags," said Fury. "Normally, she'd be fine after a few minutes. But Exodus's freaky power blast must've taxed her healing factor in some way. It may be an hour or more before she's back on her feet."

Sailor Moon shook her head, crying. How could their efforts to rescue Naru fail so spectacularly? She ran over to Wolverine. "Logan, she's got healing power like yours, right? Won't she be OK?"

"I hope so, kiddo," muttered Wolverine.

Sailor Moon felt someone grasp her wrist. Turning around, she saw that Walters had snapped some of the straps on her stretcher to grab her. "Don't worry about me. Go get my client," she said in slow, measured tones.

The paramedics urged her to take it easy, then loaded Walters onto the ambulance. If Fury was right, she might be healed by the time they reached the hospital. In case she wasn't, Walters was clear: she was counting on Sailor Moon to mount a rescue.

Tears flowed down Sailor Moon's cheeks. Even complete strangers like She-Hulk and Sunfire trusted her without a second thought. But what did she have to show the people of Japan now? She looked around, blinking back tears. The Sentinels were gone, yet the parts of the city were still getting blasted away because of this conflict. Naru was getting her head screwed back on right, only for Magneto to take her away. Plus, there was still a lot of division within the country, some wanting Naru's head, while others expected to see the courts do their job.

Bystanders had crept back, though the police set up barricades to keep them away. Occasionally, the police would shoot furtive glances at Sailor Moon, or the X-Men or other Senshi. Technically, the Sailor Senshi were still wanted criminals. Plus, she caught the curious glances from the crowd being held back, and the reporters who were thankfully keeping their distance now.

Whatever they were thinking, about the Sailor Senshi or mutants or whatever, one thing was clear. They all expected Sailor Moon to do something, to end this.

 _I can't end everything myself,_ Sailor Moon thought. _Enough people in Japan have to decide they've had enough, to break the cycle. But right now, there's ONE thing I can do..._

"Sailor Moon, are you better now?" came Storm's voice. Sailor Moon looked to see the X-Men's leader walking up with Gambit and Chibi-Moon. "I... was hoping to discuss what comes next."

"So was I," said Sailor Moon quickly. "The Sailor Senshi are going to use the Sailor Teleport to break into Asteroid M and rescue Naru and Umino."

Storm had seen a lot over the years, but it didn't surprise Sailor Moon when her eyes widened in shock. "Sailor Moon, I understand you're eager to get them back from Magneto," said Storm. "But think for a moment, it's..."

"Forget thinking this through, Storm!" Sailor Moon spat vehemently. "Naru hero-worshipped me because Sailor Moon rushed to her side that day the youma first appeared. Then got her hopes crushed when she didn't do something as simple as get yakuza off her mother's back. That's not happening anymore. We know where Magneto's taken her, we have a way of getting there. So we're marching right onto his turf, taking her back, and we'll finally show Magneto and his goons what happens when you mess with the friends of the Sailor Senshi!"

There was stunned silence for a moment, then Gambit said with a grin, "Well, nothin' like a good suicide mission to wind down an evening. I'm in if you are, Stormy."

"Gambit, come on!" Chibi-Moon protested. Looking to Sailor Moon, she said, "Sailor Moon, try not to be an idiot for a second. Magneto just trashed us on _OUR_ turf! We go to Asteroid M, he'll have the home field advantage and his _ENTIRE_ army behind him. We need some sort of plan first..."

"S.H.I.E.L.D.'s got some tactical data on Asteroid M, if you're serious about this," said Fury. "And I'm sure the X-Men got plenty more."

"Indeed we do, Fury. Sailor Moon, we'll happily work with you to formulate a plan. We have no intention of abandoning your friends to Magneto, either," said Beast. "Sailor Chibi-Moon raises some valid points. Even worse, thanks to all the information Erina Kizachi shared, Magneto is well aware of the Sailor Teleport. The Sailor Senshi will not have the element of surprise."

"I don't care, McCoy," snapped Sailor Moon. "I'm through seeing Naru used and abused. This ends tonight, one way or another."

"Still, it would be suicide to infiltrate Asteroid M without some sort of plan," said Storm gravely. "You must take some time to..."

"OK, I'll take some time to make a plan. About four seconds," spat Sailor Moon. "The Senshi teleport in first, keep Magneto's flunkies occupied, and then the X-Men approach in the Blackbird while they're distracted. Your plane can go up into space, right?"

"Why, yes, it is capable of leaving the atmosphere," said Beast.

"Then what's the problem, Hank?" said Iceman, walking up to them. "Don't you remember, when Angel was snagged by Magneto? We didn't hesitate when the opportunity to bust into Asteroid M presented itself. Naru showed she's not all bad. Why shouldn't the X-Men do the same for her?"

Sailor Moon smiled at Iceman, thankful for the show of support, then looked hopefully to Storm. She had her own team to lead, and had to carefully weigh all the variables. But to Sailor Moon's relief, she soon said, "Very well, I'm sure the professor will agree with you, Iceman. We brief the Sailor Senshi on all we have on Asteroid M, then follow them there."

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When they had rematerialized, Umino could tell they were no longer in Japan, or anywhere on the planet for that matter. Seeing Earth right outside a huge set of windows circling a good part of the chamber was his first clue. To make it worse, he could see Greenland and Scandanavia. This Amelia Voght had transported them clear across the planet.

 _Great. On a hunk of metal and rock floating in space with a living magnet, not to mention of bunch of other mutants with the biggest chips on their shoulders ever,_ Umino mused fearfully.

The Brotherhood and Acolytes drew back, giving Umino and Naru plenty of room in that rather spacious chamber. However, Umino kept watching Magneto, who stood relatively close by on a slightly-elevated dais, flanked by Erina Kizachi, Mystique and Exodus. Umino couldn't tell how miffed he was from being shot at. He merely stared back at Umino for a moment, then raised a hand.

Umino flinched, fearing the worst. Instead, he felt the parking meter wrapped around him loosen. It fell to the chamber's floor with a clang, then the metal scraps binding Naru came off.

"There. There's no need for such restraints here," said Magneto amiably. "Here on Asteroid M, all mutants, and those closest to them, are welcome. Speaking of which, please check on Osaka, wouldn't you Umino? I fear I may have been a bit too harsh with her."

Despite his fear, Umino shot Magneto a dirty look. Still, with a sigh, he knelt down to check Naru's vitals. Her pulse was erratic, but strong, and her breathing was steady. A bit of good news in the midst of this catastrophe.

Umino looked back up when he heard some sort of door slide open. Some of the Acolytes and Brotherhood turned to see two new arrivals. The first had to be Pyro, who remained on Asteroid M for whatever reason. The other guy wore an Acolyte uniform, and had brown hair tied back into a ponytail. He had a stern expression, that of someone always scheming.

"So, we bagged the walkin' oil slick and her human boytoy no problem?" asked Pyro.

"No. We ran into the skirts, along with the X-Men," snarled Sabretooth. "Coulda used ya to deal with Sunfire, and then Sailor Mars again."

"Pyro had his reasons, a rather nasty spell with the Legacy Virus," said Exodus dismissively. Then he glowered at the other guy. "Cortez, however, has no such medical excuse." Cortez glared back at Exodus, but it his tongue.

"Enough bickering," said Magneto. He didn't raise his voice, but there was a firmness to his words nonetheless. "We're here to show Naru Osaka we're better than that. Umino, how is she? Does it look like she'll awaken soon?"

Umino glared at Magneto again, but then he felt Naru stir. Her eyes slowly fluttered open, gazing up at him. "U-U-U-Umino, w-w-w-what happened?" Naru's eyes snapped open completely all of a sudden. No doubt it was coming back to her. "Umino, where's Magneto!? W-W-W-Where are we!?"

"Where you belong," said Magneto simply. That made Naru leap to her feet, though her legs still looked wobbly. "Naru Osaka, I bid you welcome to Asteroid M."

Naru's gaze slowly swept the chamber, only stopping when she saw Earth right outside. She stared out at it for a moment. Umino wondered what was going through her head. Hopefully not an urge to fight these creeps again, or grab him and teleport away. Oh, he was tempted to risk that pain again, if he was confident Naru could teleport as far as Amelia Voght, even with her tagging trick.

"So, this is where you wanted to take my mother," Naru said frostily. "The view sure is nice. Maybe she would've grown to like it here. Of course, she's gone now, thanks in part to that scheming little roboticist standing right next to you." Umino looked over to Kizachi. Those sickly, chalky eyes were harder to read than Magneto's, but there was a certain deadness to them now.

"Kizachi may yet pay a price for her folly, but that can wait for the moment," said Magneto.

"Why is that?" Naru challenged, still not looking at them. "If she failed so badly in your eyes, why free her along with me?"

"As I said before, unfinished business," said Magneto. "As you must know by now, she built those Sentinels not to protect humans in Japan from our kind, but as part of a ploy to exacerbate their fear and hatred of us. To show mutants the world over that no nation will ever truly tolerate our kind."

"Not to mention, have something in her back pocket with which to fight the Sailor Senshi," Naru added icily.

"The point is, Naru Osaka, that Erina Kizachi wants to die secure with the knowledge that her daughter's kind will soon dominate the Earth," said Magneto. "To that end, she's also shared all of her work with me. You once plotted to seize those same Sentinels, with Umino's help. You may yet get another chance for these Sentinels to be your chariots, and let your countrymen see the folly of always looking down at our kind."

Naru finally looked back to Magneto, horrified. Umino gave voice to her horror. "That was the endgame? You were going to get the designs for these anti-Senshi Sentinels?"

Finally, Kizachi said something. She flashed a small grin. "Why not? I'm not long for this world. What better way to stick it to my fellow humans, than for mutants to one day strike back with weapons meant to exterminate them? You felt the same way at one point, Osaka, and even Umino was willing to go along with it."

"Except it's not all humans who are our enemy," said Naru. "You say you caused that monorail accident to open my eyes, Magneto? Well, Sailor Moon opened a lot of their eyes, too. I was too blinded by anger to acknowledge it before, but no longer." She turned back to Umino, smirking. "Of course, someone had to fire a missile at my face for that to start getting through my thick head."

Umino flushed a little. "I didn't have the Sentinel shoot a missile _AT_ you. It detonated _NEAR_ you," Umino corrected quickly.

Naru smirked again, then turned back to Magneto and Kizachi. "Point is, riding a Sentinel as a platoon of them levels everything in sight isn't my idea of a good time anymore. I've had my fill of those things. And I won't exactly be cheering you on if you build more."

"How disappointing," sneered Kizachi. "Almost as disappointing as how you were unwilling to finish me. May I ask what's made you so weak, Osaka?"

"Erina, that's enough," snapped Magneto.

"Oh no, let her go on," said Naru dryly. "You want to know why, Kizachi? Other than in hindsight, letting cancer slowly eat you alive is a much better revenge? Because it's what you would've wanted. Took long enough for it to sink in you _WANTED_ me to be this uncontrollable, rampaging monster for Magneto's PR game, but there it is. Not to mention..." She turned to Umino, her expression softening. "I almost learned too late what that path would've cost me."

Kizachi was still hard to read, but Umino could sense Magneto was getting frustrated. "I see. Your friend holds you back."

"If you want to think of Umino as some sort of morality anchor for me, fine," spat Naru. "I doubt you'd understand. I mean, aren't your own kids _AVENGERS_ because they want to make it clear they're nothing like you!?"

Umino swore he saw Magneto's jaw twitch underneath that helmet. _Oh God, Naru... Might not be a good idea to go there._

"And does that drive your decisions as well?" asked Magneto delicately. "Has my old friend poisoned you against me so much? I will admit I have made mistakes, Naru Osaka, some terrible ones. But every decision I've made has been with one goal in mind: ensuring the survival of our kind."

"Yeah, Xavier told me about how you lived through the Holocaust," said Naru. "And now you want to start another world war, so that the 'superior' race comes out on top. I haven't decided if his X-Men is the right fit for me. But your outfit isn't right for me either. That was obvious even when I was letting anger control me. Now that I've mellowed out, what makes you think I'd be any more receptive? Especially around all these Acolytes that'd like to see my boyfriend dead?"

Naru and Magneto stared into each other's eyes for a moment. It was like some strange battle of wills, neither giving any ground. "I see. My old friend told you of what drives me, of our time together. But he's not the only reason you're still rejecting my offer out of hand, is he? You said before that what Sailor Moon has done wasn't enough to convince you to give humanity another chance. What has changed?"

Naru shrugged her shoulders. "More time to think. More time for it to sink in how you and Kizachi just wanted to use me, while all Usagi was trying to do was make things up to a friend. I told her before that it was too little, too late. Maybe it wasn't."

Magneto sighed. "And for that, you're willing to trust in human justice? In a nation whose culture puts more value in the yakuza than in mutants like their defender, Sunfire?" Umino shivered when he saw Magneto grin evilly all of a sudden. "Speaking of that, I have something for you, Naru Osaka. Something that may prove I'm not insincere, as you've been led to believe."

He waved a hand, and some sort of iris opened in the chamber's floor. Naru backed up nervously, putting an arm over Umino, not sure what to expect. But then, some lanky guy bound in metal wire was levitated up through the hole, then dropped at Naru's feet.

Umino had no idea who this was, but Naru's eyes widened. Umino could see anger boiling to the surface again, and he followed her gaze. She was staring at where part of a finger was missing. _Oh no, is this guy... Is he the one Naru was looking for?_

A horrified shriek confirmed Umino's suspicions. He looked over to Kizachi. Now, those eyes were finally alive with something: dread. "What is this, Lehnsherr!? Not him! He has a mutant son, remember!? You agreed not to..."

Mystique grappled Kizachi from behind, her fingers lengthening into spidery talons. She scraped underneath Kizachi's chin with two of them, and Kizachi froze. "Shhhh, Kizachi," Mystique admonished. "You believe in letting us mutants have our way? Well, let's see what Naru chooses to do."

"Indeed, Raven," said Magneto. "Naru, it's understandable that you'd refuse to take the life of someone already dying of cancer. But this worm is also part of the reason your mother is no longer with us. None of us wished to see her die, and Gai Izumi's bungling is the reason Mayumi Osaka is gone. As much as Charles and Tsukino have influenced you, I still sense you know the truth deep down. As mutants, feared and hated, justice is something we must take for ourselves. This man's fate is in your hands."

The wires around Izumi unwrapped themselves, and he fell shivering at Naru's feet. Naru stared coldly down at him, not unlike how she had stared at his aunt, preparing to plow a fist through her face. Umino looked on, hoping she really had mellowed out like she said. "Naru, come on, don't play Magneto's game. Don't let him..."

Naru ignored him, reaching down to grab Izumi underneath his armpit and hoist him onto his feet. She stared up into his eyes, her teeth clenched. Her fist trembled, and Umino swore he saw dark energy crackle. A pathetic whimper was all that escaped Izumi's throat, too fearful to utter a word.

"The justice system in Japan would let him slip through the cracks. He was able to elude their police, but not me," said Magneto. "Sometimes, a person _HAS_ to be judge, jury and executioner, even if it's distasteful."

"Maybe, Magneto," said Naru coolly, shutting her eyes. She let out a sigh of resignation. "But not this time." With that, she hurled Izumi a good distance away, close to some of Magneto's followers.

Kizachi's eyes widened in surprise, while Magneto looked frustrated and defeated once again. "Naru, you would let this vermin live after everything he has done?"

"Don't you get it yet, Magneto!?" Naru roared, rounding on him. "Being ruled by anger and bitterness, this need to lash out and seek retribution... It's eaten away at Erina Kizachi, and you've let it eat away at you again and again. I'm done letting it eat away at me!"

Umino let out a sigh of relief. He never felt prouder of Naru than he did right then.

There was a long, torturous silence in that chamber. When it was eventually broken, it wasn't by Magneto or Naru. That Sabretooth guy spoke up as he strode forward. "Well, if the skirt ain't gonna do what needs ta be done, might as well be me!"

"Creed, don't you dare!" cried Magneto, but Sabretooth already had his claws bared. With a roar like a lion's, he slashed at a startled, screaming Izumi.

Blood sprayed a good distance, splattering over an astonished, shocked Naru. She stared at the mangled remains of Gai Izumi, eyes wide with shock, trembling.

"Creed, you injudicious... _**I**_ decide who lives and dies on Asteroid M, not you!" bellowed Magneto. Umino could practically smell the ozone in the air as Magneto called upon his power, aiming to teach Sabretooth a lesson.

"Oh don't worry, Magneto!" barked Naru. "You want me to punish someone for senseless carnage? I'll start with him!" She cut loose with a blast of black lightning, which made Sabretooth smack into that window with Earth just beyond it.

His fellow Brotherhood members weren't having it. The Blob charged at Naru and scooped her head up with a meaty hand. He slammed her against the chamber floor several times. Naru dug into his flesh with her fingers while letting her oil slick crawl up his arm, delivering shocks of dark power. Unuscione tried to insulate Blob from her power with that psionic exoskeleton, while Frenzy tried to pry Naru off his arm.

Instinct once again got the better of Umino's better judgment. "Hey, get off her!" he screamed just as Frenzy separated Naru from Blob. He jumped up to grab Frenzy from behind.

Frenzy threw Naru onto the chamber floor so hard, the plating buckled in a little. She turned her attention to Umino, reaching behind her to grab him. "I don't know who's dumber! This girl for choosing you, or you for thinking a little meatbag like you can protect her!" Umino winced as Frenzy reached back with her other hand to slap him silly.

Again, he was saved by Magneto. This time, though, he made his displeasure with Frenzy known with a magnetic force bolt. Umino clambered to the floor as Frenzy screamed, doubling over. "Frenzy, was I not clear about no harm coming to this boy!?" he demanded. "Besides, his familiarity with Kizachi's programming language may be useful, now that she may not be so cooperative."

He shot Sabretooth a scathing look. Umino followed where Magneto's gaze went next. Unuscione was holding Naru down with her exoskeleton. She had little opportunity to force herself free, as Blob was pounding her with punch after punch, and Umino could only watch helplessly.

"That's enough from all of you!" Magneto roared, and Blob stopped. It could not be plainer, how frustrated he was that this gathering got him nowhere with Naru. "Get Osaka and Umino into holding while I decide what is to be done next."

Blob picked Naru up off the floor, who was barely conscious. Unuscione kept Naru shielded as Blob carried her. "Move, scrawny, if ya know what's good for ya," Blob drawled, poking Umino in the back with a finger to get him moving.

Seeing it was pointless to resist, Umino walked ahead of them. He looked back, seeing that that Cortez guy was also walking with them. Then he caught a glimpse of Kizachi. She hadn't said a word after her nephew was gutted, and now Umino saw why. She had slumped to her knees, staring off into space, completely shellshocked.

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"You're going after _MAGNETO_ , Usagi!? Into _SPACE_!?" Ikuko cried incredulously. Just when she thought she live with her daughter being a superhero, her little girl was now determined to do the craziest thing imaginable. In light of how she waded into an army of giant robots less than a week ago, that was saying something.

To infuriate Ikuko more, Sailor Moon just shrugged her shoulders. "Considering we survived teleporting onto an asteroid full of evil life-sucking flowers to save Mamo-chan, I think with the X-Men's help, we can pull this off."

Ikuko looked over to the Blackbird. Beast and Sailor Mercury were making some last-minute adjustments on the outside, prepping the jet for a trek into space. Some of the other Sailor Senshi and X-Men were standing around, itching to get underway. _Get a grip, Ikuko. She won't be alone, and she's got the people who best know how to fight Magneto in her corner,_ Ikuko told herself. Still, dread clawed at her heart.

"Any chance we can hitch a ride?" asked Kenji. "After this last week, it'll be hard to top anything I've done for the magazine. Tagging along to cover Magneto getting what's coming to him might actually do that."

Ikuko glared at him. As much as she wanted to be close to Usagi while she partook in this madness, she wasn't exactly eager to go into space.

"That... might not be a good idea," said Luna delicately. "There's no telling what's going to happen when the Blackbird gets to Asteroid M. We're counting on the Sailor Senshi distracting them long enough for the X-Men to get aboard, but it's no guarantee."

"Aw, and I had this little spycam ready to take pictures of them beating the pants off of Magneto," grumbled Shingo, looking at the little gizmo in his hands.

"Actually, why don't you give me that?" Mercury suddenly came up, and took the spycam from Shingo. "We just may be able to get you and your father the pictures you want." Shingo didn't object in the least to Mercury taking it. In fact, he blushed a little as he looked up at her.

"Ami, you've been the brains of Usagi's group, helped to keep her safe all this time," said Ikuko. "Can you honestly tell me the probability is good that you'll all make it back?"

There was a sad, uncertain look in Mercury's eyes. "It's... hard to say. There are too many variables to calculate the probability of success. But it was the same way during our final stands against the Dark Kingdom and the rest." Ikuko grimaced. She didn't know that Usagi told her family that their entire group 'died' that day in the Arctic.

"Look, Mama. Ami's got all the tactical info the X-Men and S.H.I.E.L.D. gave us on Asteroid M downloaded to her computer, and we've all looked it over ourselves. We're not flying blind," Sailor Moon said reassuringly.

"Still, can you blame me for being worried? This is _MAGNETO_ we're talking about!" cried Ikuko.

"I know, Mama. Believe me, I know," grumbled Sailor Moon. She rubbed her tummy again. Sailor Moon didn't really elaborate on how her fight with Magneto went, and Ikuko wasn't too eager to hear more. "But we've got to try. Remember what I told you about Mamo-chan and the Dark Kingdom? We didn't know where he was taken, or what to do. The next time we saw him, he was all brainwashed and crazy. It's different now. We can go get Naru right away. She's been used and abused enough, Mama. It's got to end here."

"All of it's gotta end here." Ikuko turned to see Gambit and Beast walking up. "Mags also knows the identities of all the Sailor Senshi and their families, no? The Moon Princess needs to make it plain that the price of muckin' with any of 'em be too high," said Gambit. Ikuko shuddered. She didn't need any reminders that Magneto knew all about her family.

"Remy is quite correct. As much as I abhor violence, this may be the Sailor Senshi's best chance to end this conflict," added Beast.

"Still, I can empathize with you, Ikuko," said Luna. "All the times I had to watch the Sailor Senshi rush into a fight, forced to hang back because I'm just a cat... At least Artemis and I can hitch a ride on the Blackbird for this one."

Ikuko shut her eyes and sighed. In her mind, she understood all the logic, but it still tore at her heart all the same. Finally, she relented and pulled Sailor Moon toward her for a hug. "Just blast Magneto away with your Ginzuishou as soon as you can and get everyone back, OK?" she asked tearfully.

Sailor Moon hugged her back. "It'll be OK, Mama. You'll see."

"It will be, Mrs. Tsukino. The X-Men will see to it that your daughter succeeds." Everyone turned to see Professor X _STANDING_ there, though Gambit and Beast didn't look the least bit surprised. He wore some sort of strange suit, no doubt what let him walk, if only temporarily. All the stops were being pulled out for this final confrontation with Magneto. "Sailor Moon, preparations for the Blackbird are now complete. Please give us a headstart, since your Sailor Teleport can probably outpace the Blackbird."

Sailor Moon nodded as the rest of her team gathered. Tuxedo Kamen, Chibi-Moon, Uranus and Neptune stood together, and then the five Inner Senshi formed a ring around them, joining hands. Sailor Moon looked over to her family. "You three... might want to stand back a bit."

Ikuko didn't need any more encouragement to take some steps back. After a bit of hesitation, Kenji and Shingo did the same. It looked like the Sailor Senshi were all set, but then Lockheed flew out of nowhere and perched himself on Neptune's shoulder. They all looked at the little dragon quizzically, then Jupiter looked over to the Blackbird. "Don't worry Jupiter, Lockheed'll keep you out of trouble till the X-Men crash the party!" Shadowcat cried out just as the Blackbird's rear ramp closed.

Jupiter just grunted in annoyance. Lockheed chuckled insufferably as the Blackbird roared to life. Several minutes after the Blackbird took off and vanished above the clouds, Ikuko could feel a prickling in her skin. A fierce glow built up around the Senshi. Leaves, dirt and twigs swirled around them as their power built up. The pulsating glow continued to build in intensity.

Finally, the five Inner Senshi cried, "Sailor Teleport!" A column of light shot up into the cloudy night sky, and the nine of them and Lockheed vanished up into it. They took out a good chunk of the ground they had stood on, and then, silence. The Sailor Senshi were off, charging into who-knew-what. All Ikuko could do was pray her little girl would come back to her one last time.

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Y'know, if we're going for total comic book accuracy, at this point Magneto would be ruler of Genosha and not have an orbital base. This is kinda a throwback, set toward the end of the 90s. Notice how there isn't an iPhone in sight? But when I first got this idea, I knew the showdown with Magneto _HAD_ to be on Asteroid M. Not only was this the case in _X-Men Legends_ , which inspired this story, but in the arcade game and the 1989 cartoon pilot it was based on. Combined with how the Sailor Teleport was used to fly through space in the _Sailor Moon R_ movie (which is _STILL_ one of my all-time favorite theatrically released superhero and animated films), and it's the perfect setting for the ending. We're in the endgame now, people. Buckle up.

So long,

Grey-X


	35. A Second Sacrifice

**Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse**

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 35: A Second Sacrifice

9-16-2018

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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The Blackbird finally cleared the atmosphere, the stars and vastness of space now before them. Still, it would take some time before the Blackbird could loop around Earth to approach Asteroid M. Provided, that was, the Sailor Senshi could board it first and sow confusion.

Xavier sat at the copilot's station, happy to let Cable handle most of the piloting duties. He had a good deal on his mind. First and foremost, he kept going over it again and again in his mind, the Sailor Senshi's chances. Xavier had gone over all the data on their old enemies. The Sailor Senshi had conquered beings rivaling and even exceeding the Master of Magnetism's power, and who were far more ruthless. Still, he knew Erik Magnus Lehnsherr like no other. Part of him feared they still didn't understand just what kind of man he was, and what he was capable of.

Worse, Xavier couldn't help but dwell on what happened the last time the X-Men took the fight to Magneto like this. He had truly believed it would end the carnage forever, only to set in motion a horrible chain of events.

 _The Sailor Senshi have shown us a more hopeful future, though,_ Xavier mused. He stared out at the expanse of stars, then looked to Cable. _Then again, we know better than most there are many possible futures, that nothing is truly set..._

Xavier wondered what Cable was thinking. He had forged an odd bond with Chibiusa, a fellow time-traveler. This mission to Japan had been tumultuous, producing unexpected results. This partnership started as something forged out of necessity, but swiftly became something more. These girls went above and beyond, doing more than Xavier could have ever asked of anyone. Now he had to put aside his doubts and lead the X-Men to back them up. The Sailor Senshi had done so much. Now they were counting on the X-Men to return the favor.

"Got somethin' on your mind, Chuck?" Xavier looked up to see Wolverine standing in the middle of the cockpit, staring out at the stars.

"The same thing that's on yours, I'd wager," said Xavier darkly.

Wolverine snorted. "Yeah, last time we tackled Mags in orbit, it didn't exactly go swimmingly."

 _That's putting it mildly_. That had been what triggered Xavier that day, seeing Magneto rip the adamantium right off Wolverine's bones.

"But ya got me through that, and then we got ya free and clear o' Onslaught," Wolverine went on. "Good thing we ain't lookin' at anythin' so dire in the long-term. Just get in, distract Mags long enough to snatch Naru and Umino, and get out."

"You sound even more eager to get underway than usual," said Storm, who was strapped in right behind Xavier.

"Matter of honor, Ororo," said Wolverine. "Made a lot of promises to Naru. Because I didn't deliver, wound up havin' to stab her through the gut instead. Helpin' to get her and her boyfriend clear of these psychos might help finish makin' up for that."

"Assuming the Sailor Senshi leave you any Acolytes or Brotherhood bozos to eviscerate, Logan," said Shadowcat, strapped in behind the pilot's seat. "Magneto just made this even more personal for them."

"The Brotherhood and Acolytes they can handle," said Cable. "The big man himself... That's a tactical puzzle, it could go either way." He delivered that assessment in his usual cool, collected manner. Still, Xavier noticed a subtle difference in Cable's tone. "Still, few would like to see those girls defy the odds and stick it to Magneto more than me."

"Any special reason, Cable?" asked Shadowcat.

"Magneto has an even grimmer outlook on the future than me, the guy with every reason to be a raging pessimist," said Cable. "And along comes Sailor Moon, who embodies the polar opposite. Kizachi surely told Magneto about the future she represents. The mere thought that a vision more like Xavier's wins out over his must drive him mad. Who better to drive it home once and for all than the girl supposedly destined to make it happen?"

"Not to mention, we'd get to sit back and laugh as Mags gets clobbered by a bunch of teenage girls in short skirts," Wolverine added with a grin.

Despite himself, despite the gravity of the coming conflict, Xavier couldn't help but smile. Usagi even brought hope to these grizzled old soldiers, who had endured lifetimes of conflict and hardship. Still, he knew something still troubled Cable. Namely, that his nemesis might one day undo that bright future.

It was something to be puzzled out another time. Right now, they had more immediate concerns. They were still a good distance away from where Asteroid M lingered in orbit. However, they were not meant to reach it first.

The Blackbird's sensors picked up strange energy readings, just as Xavier could sense now-familiar thought patterns closing in fast.

Grinning, he issued commands to the Blackbird's systems. "Computer, display visual feed from the rear of the plane." At once, a holographic display screen sprang up before Xavier. A small, glowing sphere was shown amid the backdrop of the stars behind them. "Magnify," he said. The image zoomed in, showing a translucent sphere of energy. It soared ever closer. Soon enough, Xavier could make out the five Inner Senshi forming a ring with hands joined, the rest of their team and Lockheed suspended within.

"Well, when you're right you're right, Chuck. Those little ladies are sure ta beat us to that rock," said Wolverine.

"I believe that was the plan, Logan," said Storm. "Luckily, I'm sure enough of a certain someone who's the best at what he does has rubbed off on them, ensuring they cause a good deal of havoc."

"Like I told Rei, I teach kids how to survive," Wolverine said gruffly. "Hopefully, I gave 'em enough pointers to do just that."

"We're all hoping for that, Logan," said Xavier as he watched the Sailor Senshi draw closer. It wasn't much longer before that sphere disappeared from the screen, only to emerge right beside the Blackbird. For whatever reason, their speed had slowed to match theirs. Xavier turned to look out the cockpit's side window. While the rest of the Senshi were gazing ahead, Sailor Moon turned to look at the Blackbird. Her eyes met Xavier's, a strange look in them. Reaching out with his telepathy, he asked, _Are you prepared for this, Sailor Moon? Once you breach Asteroid M, there may be no escaping until you can subdue my old friend._

 _I get that, Professor. I'm more crazy than stupid, believe it or not,_ Sailor Moon replied. _I'm more worried about Naru than myself right now, though._

Xavier paused for a moment. _Fear not. You've made the right decision to waste no time mounting a rescue. Besides, the X-Men vowed to do everything in our power to help your friend, and we're here to live up to that._

Xavier could see Sailor Moon smile a little. She turned to look back ahead as the Senshi gradually built up speed again. Xavier looked ahead as well, just as Asteroid M was coming into view, still many, many miles in the distance.

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Naru dared not make a move, not while in Blob's grip and with Unuscione's psionic exoskeleton smothering her. Besides, even if she weren't in such a compromising position, she still felt too groggy from Magneto's electromagnetic jolts and Blob pummeling her. As strong as she was, Blob was much stronger. And even if she was willing teleport and leave Umino behind, Unuscione's power could interfere with that. Better to play possum and bide time until she was in a better position to strike.

 _That is, unless they try something with Umino,_ Naru thought fearfully. Through squinted eyes, she made out Umino being forced to march ahead of them. She couldn't help but think back to the video footage from that hospital. And now Umino was in the midst of these maniacs.

It was a struggle, to force away that cold dread. It threatened to fill her heart because, surprisingly, of what was lacking there at the moment. Any sort of relief from seeing Gai Izumi struck down. Oh, she had been so tempted to rip his head off right in front of Erina Kizachi as she groveled to Magneto. In the end, though, Naru felt dirtying her hands with his blood wasn't worth it.

And then Sabretooth did the deed instead, leaving Naru with nothing but shock and horror from witnessing it. Nothing but a cold emptiness, and the realization that revenge would have brought her no peace.

 _Usagi and the X-Men were right all along,_ Naru admitted to herself, suddenly all too aware of the dried blood splattered on her face. _I can't believe I was actually going to join these monsters!_

Blob prodded Umino down a hall along the outer edge of the asteroid. Occasionally, they passed a window letting her see the stars outside. A grim reminder of the trouble the two of them were in.

Eventually, he was shoved through a large set of double doors sliding open. Blob carried Naru into what looked like some sort of medical bay. It was staffed by some people in lab coats. Whether they were human scientists and medics coerced to work for Magneto, or mutants themselves, Naru couldn't tell. Feigning unconsciousness, it was hard to make out any details.

"Put her in there, Dukes," came the voice of that man Cortez. Blob lumbered over to some weird metal door that opened like a rolling gear. Naru had a nasty feeling she wouldn't be able to break out easily once put inside.

 _Now or never, I guess,_ Naru figured. She summoned up as much dark power as she could, willing it to radiate outward.

As Naru hoped, it caught Unuscione by surprise, and her psionic exoskeleton faltered. She flung globs of ooze at Unuscione and Blob's faces. Blob dropped her as he stumbled back in shock. The lab technicians jumped back in fright, and Naru was about to lunge at Blob.

That was when an electric jolt went through her. Naru crumbled to the floor, clutching her gut. Fabian Cortez stood over her, holding something that looked like a shotgun. No doubt loaded with 'shells' that could deliver quite a shock.

"Crafty little one, aren't you? And quite confident of your powers," Cortez jeered. Naru tried to stand, but could only rise to one knee. "But apparently, your level of power wasn't enough to conquer the Master of Magnetism, was it? Tell me, would you like more?"

Before Naru could stop him, Cortez laid a hand on her cheek. That was when she felt another jolt, but not of electricity. No, this was something else. She wasn't sure what Cortez just did to her, but it couldn't be good.

Finally, she rose to her feet, fixing to pummel Cortez now that he dropped his guard. But then she looked down at her fists. They were crackling with dark energy, but she hadn't called upon it. More and more built up against her will. Soon, her whole body was ablaze in the stuff, searing every nerve. Worse, her muscles felt horribly stiff, and her oil slick was now pouring out unbidden.

"What's going on!?" Naru demanded, staring down at herself in horror. "What've you done to me!?"

"Augmented your powers to the point you can no longer control them, child," spat Unuscione, finally ripping the glop off of her face. "Don't worry. Where you're going, that won't be much of an issue."

Even with her strength boosted, Naru couldn't stand her ground against a shove from that exoskeleton, being in such agony. She was flung into that small chamber. Once she hit the wall inside, metal tentacles snaked out to restrain her. Naru tried to pull herself free, but all of a sudden, her super strength was gone. Not only that, her oil slick was retracting, even though she hadn't willed it to.

"What in... What happened to all that power!?" cried Naru.

Cortez chuckled as he strode into the chamber. "Oh, just a little inhibitor field that neutralizes mutant powers." Naru's eyes widened in terror. In spite of all the misery being a mutant had brought, there was at least some comfort in being super tough. Now even that small comfort was stripped away.

She watched Cortez warily, wondering what he was going to do next. He held one hand just outside the chamber, motioning for something. One of the techs gave him something that looked like a hot glue gun. "And without your invulnerability, it will be quite easy to obtain a blood sample." Naru winced as Cortez stuck that thing in her arm. She watched helplessly as a tube filled with her blood.

"Since you've made it clear you will not serve Lord Magneto willingly, Osaka, we'll settle for studying this mutation bequeathed by the Dark Kingdom," sneered Unuscione. "The power that stymied a supposed demigoddess like Sailor Moon, and caused the downfall of her ancient kingdom? This should be interesting, indeed."

Naru said nothing, her throat closing up. The power she got from Nephrite was going to be used for evil again? The thought sickened her. She struggled against the coils, but with her strength gone, it was pointless.

Cortez leered at her again as he stepped out of the chamber. Turning, he said, "Put the boy in the other one. Gently now, we all heard our lord's orders." Then the gear-door rolled shut, leaving Naru in near darkness.

 _Yeah, right. How long until you decide to torture the only other human on this rock for sport?_ Naru thought angrily. She had to break free and break Umino out. But without her powers, she was nothing.

Naru hung her head, tears falling as hopelessness sank in. After all that had happened, she thought that at the very least, she had these powers to fall back on. Now even that could be taken away.

She had no idea how long she stood there bound up, crying. Eventually, however, she became aware of someone calling her name. It began as a faint whisper, but then it resounded clearly in her mind. And the voice... A voice Naru never expected to hear again.

Eyes drenched with tears snapped open as Naru picked her head up. "Naru, can you hear me?" Naru blinked back more tears. It couldn't be, this was impossible! There, in this chamber with her, was this ghostly figure of Masato Sanjoin in his Dark Kingdom uniform.

"Nephrite!?" Naru cried in disbelief. "H-H-How in, w-w-w-what did... This is impossible! I-I-I-I saw you die! A-A-A-And that stuff you disintegrated into transferred your power, right?"

"That was the idea, yes," said Nephrite. "But it wasn't just a few extra strands of DNA I wound up leaving you that night. I left a piece of myself in you, a piece of my soul, so to speak. To further ensure your protection."

"A p-p-p-piece of your soul, protecting me?" asked Naru, confused.

Nephrite nodded. "It's the reason even a telepath like Charles Xavier cannot touch your mind, and you're almost invisible to things like Cerebro and Sailor Mars's spiritual sense. The dark powers we Shitennou received from Queen Beryl, it can now protect you in body. But I wanted to make sure your mind was protected as well, and that no one seeking to do you harm could find you."

Naru's lip quivered, the tears still falling. All this time, she thought she had lost Nephrite forever. Now it turned out he was still protecting her in so many ways.

"But now, none of that's doing any good," said Naru. "This chamber's got something that neutralizes your powers as well as mine. And they've got my blood, and the mutant genes we got from Queen Metalia. Your powers will be used for evil again..."

"Not if you can help it," said Nephrite with a smile. "I can help you break free, to make sure my gift stays with you alone."

"W-W-What? Y-Y-Y-You can get me out of here?" stammered Naru.

Nephrite's smile went from a warm one to a sad, resigned one. "Yes, Naru, I won't hesitate to sacrifice what I have left for you again."

"S-S-S-Sacrifice!?" demanded Naru, horrified.

"It's the only way," said Nephrite. "While I laid dormant in your psyche, the protection I offered was passive, so to speak. But with a conscious effort, I can block the effects of Magneto's inhibitor field. Doing so, I'm afraid, will strain what's left of me, to the point I will be gone for good."

"N-N-No, Nephrite!" cried Naru. "You have no idea, what it was like seeing you die in my arms! I-I-I-I can't go through that again!"

"We both know it's what must be done," said Nephrite reassuringly. "You've found your true love since then, and he needs you now. I ask but one thing of you, Naru. Please tell King Endymion... Tell Mamoru Chiba that I beg his forgiveness for letting myself be duped so. Tell him I did what I could to thwart Sailor Moon's new enemy. Maybe, with this one last sacrifice, I will have truly earned redemption. Please, Naru, tell him, and live your life to the fullest once you make good your escape..."

Even with tears blurring her vision, Naru could see that Nephrite's ghostly form was fading. "No, Nephrite! Don't leave me again!" she pleaded.

But it was too late. Nephrite faded away entirely. Just as he did, she could feel it. The power, the strength, it all flooded back into Naru's body.

For a moment, Naru still hung there, bound by the coils, sobbing. To find some part of Nephrite's soul survived, only to lose him again just as quickly.

But then she reflected on what Nephrite said. He was counting on her to set things right. Gritting her teeth and clenching her fists, Naru pulled against the metal coils. They didn't budge. No doubt Magneto made these strong enough to resist her, should the inhibitor field fail.

 _Hang on a second. They can restrain me at my base level, 45 tons,_ Naru figured. _But do I still have that boost from Cortez?_

Naru took a deep breath, then pulled against her bindings with all her might. The strain was painful, downright excruciating, but she could feel the coils giving way. Naru pulled on them even harder, screaming. She could feel the wall behind her shaking, struggling to resist her boosted strength.

With one last defiant roar, Naru ripped the metal tentacles off the wall. She paused only long enough to tear them off her body completely, then screamed again as she punched at that gear-door. It only took a few good hits to send it flying across that med lab.

She stepped out, seeing those people in lab coats staring at her in disbelief. One was a woman with orange skin and blue hair. So they were probably mutants, after all.

Not that it mattered if they were fellow mutants. Magneto had caused her so much grief already. Now, thanks to him, what little bit of Nephrite remained was gone for good.

Screaming again, she used black lightning to topple one of the lab workers, then another. When she rounded on the last one, that girl with orange skin, Naru saw she had gone for a weapon similar to what Cortez shot her with. Snarling, she sent out a tendril to snatch it away. Naru was about to blast her like the others, but then noticed something on the workbench beside her. A tube of freshly-drawn blood.

"I don't know what it's like here on this mutants-only hunk of rock," Naru sneered as she drew closer, relishing her terror. "But there's still this expectation that medical information be kept _PRIVATE!_ "

She fired a bolt of black lightning so powerful at that workbench, the orange-skinned woman was flung aside, knocked unconscious like the others. The tube's contents were splattered everywhere, charred. In case some of her blood had been stored elsewhere, Naru cut loose, making black lightning arc all over the lab. Best to use Cortez's power boost while it lasted. Computer terminals and storage cabinets full of specimens were blasted apart, rendered useless.

For a moment, Naru just stood there, breathing heavily as she took in the destruction. She was dimly aware of the power boost finally fading. Sighing, she walked over to the other gear-door and dug her fingers into it. She forced it open, and Umino stumbled out. Unsurprisingly, they didn't bother to restrain him with those metal tentacles.

"N-N-Naru, you escaped!?" Umino asked, incredulous. "I-I-I-I heard Cortez say something about your powers being neutralized..."

"They were, but... There was something Cortez hadn't counted on," said Naru. "I'll... explain later." Naru didn't think she could deal with going over what happened, anyway. Nephrite, gone for good...

She just stood in place again for a moment, trying to sort out her feelings. Naru turned when she heard Umino pick up that weapon. "I-I-I-I don't think you want to bother with that," she said dismissively. "This isn't like one of those stupid PC shooters from..."

Naru stopped when she saw Umino prep the weapon like a pro. Noticing Naru's blank stare, he shrugged his shoulders and said, "I've got an uncle who's a cop. He... showed me how to handle the heavy artillery." Naru smirked, but it faded when Umino said, "C'mon, Naru. Our work's not done."

"What do you mean?" asked Naru.

"Well, Magneto won't be using that blood sample to recreate Queen Beryl's power or whatever, that's good," said Umino. "But what about Kizachi's Sentinels? We've got to find Asteroid M's computer core. It's time for me to go futzing with the Sentinels' data again, don't you think?"

"I think you're getting ahead of yourself." Naru marched past him. "I'm taking point. Just because you have a big gun doesn't make you _THE_ big gun."

"Never said it did," protested Umino.

The doors to the med lab slid open. Naru poked her head out to peek right and left. Thankfully, it didn't look like anyone noticed their breakout. "C'mon, Umino, let's go find those computers," said Naru. "Eclipse and Gearbox, off on another crazy escapade involving Sentinels..."

"I told you, Naru, that word means... Oh forget it," Umino grumbled as he fell in step behind her.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sailor Moon looked over her shoulder one last time, the Blackbird fast receding from view. Looking back ahead, she saw Asteroid M coming up fast. It was such an unsightly thing. A hunk of rock floating in space with domes bubbling up out of the top like some weird growths, all manner of weird constructs jutting out everywhere. And somewhere in that ugly mass of stone and metal, Naru was being held prisoner.

 _Hold on, Naru! We're coming for you and Umino!_ Sailor Moon thought, hoping that Naru was hanging on to hope herself. _This is partly my fault, for not doing enough before. Well, time to fix things by coming to the rescue, just like old times._

It was weird, really. The X-Men first made their mark fighting Magneto after he planned and plotted on the original Asteroid M, and her father was there that day. She began her duties as Sailor Moon saving Naru from the Dark Kingdom, who eventually developed mutant powers of her own. In a strange way, everything was coming full circle.

The Sailor Senshi sped closer to Asteroid M. Sailor Moon wondered just how far it was now. Too bad their minds were no longer linked, and she couldn't just see Mercury's visor readout through her eyes. She missed it already, that sense of connection to all her friends. Worse, according to Xavier, once they got on board it was likely Magneto or Exodus would set up interference, blocking his and Cable's telepathy.

Sailor Moon had to admit that scared her. The X-Men had lots more experience dealing with these guys. But it was up to the Sailor Senshi to clear the field.

Sighing, Sailor Moon was about to ask how much longer it would be. Mercury spoke up just then. "We're less than ten kilometers from Asteroid M, now. According to Fury's intel and what Xavier told us, our target should be right above that docking bay on the right side. We punch through that, and..."

"Wait just a minute!" cried Mars suddenly. Sailor Moon looked over to see a bemused, wide-eyed look on the Shinto priestess. Lockheed looked quite intrigued, as well.

"What's wrong, Mars?" asked Chibi-Moon. "Are you... sensing something weird?"

"I was led to believe Exodus generated interference that would make such a thing difficult," added Neptune.

"Yet I'm sensing something I definitely _SHOULDN'T_ be," said Mars. "Dark power, just like what the Shitennou gave off with their auras, coming in clear as a bell!"

"What in... Did they brainwash Naru already or something!?" Sailor Moon cried out fearfully.

Mars shook her head. "I... don't think so, Usagi. I'm sensing some anger, but not outright malice. It's just as if whatever kept Neptune and I from locking onto Naru before, it's been stripped away."

Neptune fished out her mirror to test that theory. "Mars is right. I can pinpoint Naru's use of dark energy better than ever before."

"What could've made Naru lose whatever it was that hid her from the Deep Aqua Mirror, Mars's spiritual sense, Cerebro, what have you?" asked Tuxedo Kamen.

"Your guess is as good as mine. Hopefully, it's not because Magneto's done something to her already," said Venus.

"I'm more worried about what Magneto's _JUST_ done," said Mercury uneasily. "Dr. McCoy was right about Magneto expecting us to use the Sailor Teleport. Some sort of magnetic barrier has sprung up over the entire asteroid. He knows we're coming."

"The _ENTIRE_ asteroid!?" Jupiter spat incredulously. "That thing must be nearly two kilometers wide!"

"Just about," Mercury confirmed. "We shouldn't be surprised. With the way the X-Men kept warning us about his power, we should've anticipated this."

"Then... how do we get through?" Chibi-Moon asked delicately.

Sailor Moon kept looking ahead. The rocky exterior of Asteroid M was coming up fast, and she swore she saw the flicker of Magneto's barrier. Now that Naru would be easier to track, they couldn't just turn back.

"Wait a minute... Magneto knows about how we used the Sailor Teleport to reach the other asteroid. But does he know what we can do _WHILE_ teleporting? I doubt Kizachi saw _THAT_ ," said Sailor Moon.

"And the barrier's power must be spread pretty thin," added Uranus.

"Then it's settled. We go right through Magneto's defenses!" cried Jupiter.

It was a gamble, but one that all the other Senshi were willing to make. They nodded in approval, looking right ahead. Sailor Moon concentrated, feeling more power well up from the other four Inner Senshi.

"Sailor... Planet... _ATTACK!_ " the five of them bellowed in unison, right before they rammed into that flickering, crackling barrier. It was like hitting a brick wall in the middle of space, yet Sailor Moon could already feel it giving way. She drew on more and more power for the attack, determined to punch through. Naru and Umino were somewhere on that hunk of space rock, and they were counting on the Sailor Senshi to rescue them one last time.

Thankfully, Uranus was on the money. Magneto's power was spread too thinly, over too wide an area. Without warning, it finally gave way to their onslaught, and their sphere sped ahead, smashing through solid rock.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was like someone took a hammer to his head. Magneto fell to his knees, one hand clutching his helmet-clad head, while the other went over his heart. Some of the Acolytes who were with him in the topmost dome sprouting from Asteroid M rushed to his side. He hardly heard their confused pleas, his head was throbbing so.

Rather than focusing on the present, Magneto's mind suddenly drifted back to the past. It was just like that day at Cape Citadel. His magnetic barrier should have protected him as he went about securing that nuclear arsenal. Instead, without warning, he found himself under attack by a mysterious force, which soon breached his defenses.

It had been the five original X-Men, who had trained and prepared for such a day. Months of planning and preparation, all for naught, as those five youngsters swiftly drove him off. And it was what began a long history of struggles and strife. Though once, he tried to walk their leader's path, his old friend, but it only ended in heartbreak and misery.

Now, history was repeating itself. Even though he saw the Sailor Senshi coming, sensing the strange energies of their teleportation effect and watching from this dome, the end result was the same. They struck in a way he was unprepared for, and an all-encompassing barrier was breached yet again.

 _And this time, it's not just five costumed youths,_ Magneto thought grumpily, slowly rising to his feet. _I could see it, even from this distance. The Inner Senshi teleported in with the rest of their team._

"Lord Magneto! What's happened!?" Magneto could finally make out a voice. Frenzy's.

"Is that eagerness for action I sense in your voice, Joanna?" Magneto croaked. "I do hope so. Asteroid M has just been boarded. The Sailor Senshi somehow smashed through my defenses." It was embarrassing, really. He had scolded Unuscione once before, saying Blob was right to be hesitant to draw the Sailor Senshi's attention. Now, he had ignored his own advice.

"Penetrated your defenses? So easily?" scoffed Exodus.

"I'm afraid so, Paris," said Magneto. "And the Sailor Senshi are dangerous enough, but I fear the X-Men may be right behind them."

"I took the liberty of running some sensor sweeps," came Mystique's silky voice. Magneto turned to see Mystique standing over a computer console. "As far as I can tell, no one's following the Sailor Senshi."

"And if they were, surely your magnetic powers could detect the approach of the Blackbird," added Exodus.

"You would think so," said Magneto. He levitated himself higher, to get a better look out from the dome. Space and an expanse of stars stretched out before him, yet no sign of the X-Men's fabled craft. "Charles and his X-Men... They've had much more experience infiltrating my space stations. And Charles would not stand by as his newest allies rush off to face us on our home turf. The X-Men will be right behind them, mark my words."

"Then we'll just paste the lot of 'em!" spat Frenzy, pounding her fists together.

"Don't get overconfident. Their combined might proved difficult to overcome back in Tokyo," Magneto reminded her. "But yes, we must act swiftly before the X-Men find a way aboard. Though I wonder if the best strategy is to let some of the Sailor Senshi find their way to me."

"Any special reason?" Mystique asked.

"Part of their plan to get the X-Men aboard may involve distracting me so the Blackbird's approach goes undetected," said Magneto. "I suspect they will split off into two teams. One fights their way through the asteroid so they can confront me, while the other tracks down Naru Osaka and Gerio Umino. And since I'd rather not lose yet another orbital station, leading them to a secluded section on the asteroid's far end might prevent Sailor Moon taxing Asteroid M's structural integrity to its limit."

Exodus raised an eyebrow. "You suspect the girl is _THAT_ powerful?"

"From what Erina Kizachi told me, that Ginzuishou connected to her life force is comparable to an Infinity Stone, at the very least," said Magneto. "From what I've seen, it would be best not to test that supposition. Sailor Moon had little patience with me before. I suspect she has next to none now."

Magneto floated closer to the dome. He still couldn't see the Blackbird, yet he could sense Charles was out there, even if he wasn't using his telepathy. They had known each other too long for him not to. And now he sought to mentor Usagi Tsukino, this little girl supposedly destined to succeed where both of them failed. Before that, though, before this day was done, the Master of Magnetism just might fall before her. Magneto studied his faint reflection in the glass. His eyes narrowed, eyes that betrayed weariness, and the anger that coursed through him with every tortured beat of his heart. And even Sailor Moon, someone professed to embody love and forgiveness, took little pity on him. Perhaps with good reason.

"Raven, Paris, rally your teams," said Magneto at length. "We sweep every level of Asteroid M, every subsection. We find the Sailor Senshi and capture them alive, if possible. Failing that, we do what must be done. And failing that, pull back and let the team seeking me out reach me."

He could sense Exodus's unwillingness to let any intruders reach the man he revered, but said nothing. He left with Frenzy, right before Mystique exited the domed chamber, leaving Magneto alone. He took another moment to stare out into space and at his reflection, wondering just what he had brought down upon him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Naru hoped she radiated confidence as she led Umino down Asteroid M's halls. Umino was putting on a good act himself, with the way he carried himself with that weird shotgun, but Naru knew he had to be scared out of his mind. He'd be an idiot not to be, considering any of the Acolytes would have pulped him already if not for Magneto's strict orders. And even that was no guarantee.

So much hate, so much strife... Why were the two of them cursed to be caught in the middle of these things? It was part of what led Naru to reject both Magneto and Xavier's offers. Better not to be a pawn of anyone, and carve out her own place in the world, Naru had thought. Of course, things didn't quite turn out that way. And now, the two of them were stuck in the middle of this huge rock floating in orbit.

Did she dare try teleporting off? Out of the question. Naru had no idea what the limits of her teleportation abilities were. It was several hundred kilometers to Earth's surface. The risks of coming up short were too great. She probably couldn't survive in space, and Umino _DEFINITELY_ couldn't. Same for reappearing right above Earth's atmosphere and burning up as they fell into it. She couldn't even feel the spots in Tokyo that she tagged. Maybe she would when Asteroid M passed over Japan, but who knew when that would be?

 _Well, in the meantime I can tag some spots on this rock, in case I need to make a quick exit,_ Naru thought to herself. She willed some ooze to flow down onto her hand, and idly flung some between some rocks jutting out. _Granted, that's a last resort, as I still can't figure out how to not roast my passengers alive._ There were just no good options. They were alone up here, up against some of the sickest minds her kind had to offer. _And because of them, Nephrite sacrificed the only bit of him that survived!_

Nephrite gone, her mother gone. Her friendship with Usagi strained possibility to breaking, because she couldn't control her anger and see reason. A country where half the people wanted her head. Even if they made it off this rock, she didn't have much of a life to go back to. And first, as Umino insisted, they had to find the computers housing all the information on Kizachi's Sentinels, and destroy them.

 _FINDING_ the damn things was the real challenge. They had been wandering quite a while, and had no idea where they were going. Perhaps she shouldn't have been so quick to destroy every computer in that med lab. Umino probably could've brought up _SOMETHING_ of use.

"You OK, Naru?" Umino asked suddenly.

Naru sighed. "Just... angry with myself, for letting anger rule me for so long," she admitted. She fumbled for the right words as they passed a huge set of double doors. "Let's face it, we've probably never needed Sailor Moon more than we do right now. And now we're beyond her reach, assuming she's willing to go this far after everything I did."

"I... wouldn't be so quick to count her out," said Umino.

Naru stopped, turning to Umino. "Why's that?"

Umino had a weird look in his eyes. "You passed out right before the Sailor Senshi and X-Men arrived. They hit Magneto and his gang _HARD_. And the fury in Usagi's voice, the way she unloaded on Magneto... Look, the point is, if the Sailor Senshi can use that teleport to reach this asteroid, then maybe..."

A blaring klaxon suddenly interrupted Umino, and flashing lights that Naru didn't even know were installed went off. "Oh great. Well, I guess our escape wasn't going to go unnoticed forever," Naru grumbled over the alarms.

But Magneto's booming voice bellowed throughout the hall. "Brotherhood, Acolytes, be aware that intruders have boarded Asteroid M! The Sailor Senshi have arrived! I repeat, the Sailor Senshi have boarded Asteroid M, and the X-Men will not be far behind. Find them, and deal with them, by any means necessary!"

Naru and Umino stared at other for a moment. Even though he predicted something like this, Umino looked just as shocked as Naru felt. Sailor Moon really had followed them all the way out here, already? They underestimated not only what the Sailor Senshi could do, but what they were willing _TO_ do. Naru had attacked them viciously many times, sneered at the very notion they were heroes. They had every reason to abandon here to her fate, especially since she had just turned herself in before Magneto showed up.

None of that mattered to Usagi. She was coming to the rescue anyway, like she always did.

Naru just stood there, flabbergasted, not quite believing it despite how Magneto wouldn't send out a station-wide alert otherwise. It took a moment for Naru to notice Umino tapping her shoulder. "Uh, Naru, it won't do us any good if we get pulped before we find the Sailor Senshi," Umino whispered.

Naru turned to look down the hallway. A few dozen meters ahead of them, the path curved. Despite the flashing lights mucking with her eyes, Naru could glimpse shadows coming around the curve. And some muttering could be heard over the alarms.

"I think I heard somethin' down this way, Cortez," drawled Blob. "Get yer pea shooter ready, but watch where ya point it!"

"Worry not, Dukes. This time I'll smother those Sailor Senshi before they know we're even there!" snarled Unuscione.

"Oh great, them again," grumbled Umino. "They won't be too thrilled to see us out and about."

Naru grabbed Umino's wrist and took off back the way they came. She wouldn't risk a fight right now, not with Umino out in the open. She was tempted to teleport back to one of her tagged spots, but again, she had Umino to worry about.

They doubled back, stopping at that doors they passed earlier. Umino wasted no time prying open the security panel to mess with the wires. For a moment, it looked like they were in the clear. Naru heard something hiss and click within those doors. But just as it sounded like they were about to open, something fizzled within the panel. "Oh great. Guess Magneto's not exactly perfect when it comes to whipping up stuff in an orbiting rock," spat Umino.

Naru looked back down the way they came, then at the door. Those three mutants would round the corner any second. "Umino, were the hydraulics or whatever inside these doors disengaged?"

Umino looked perplexed. "Yeah, I think so. Why would that..." Naru's oil slick poured out, slipping in between the crack in the double doors. Then she willed it to force the doors apart, just enough for she and Umino to slip through. "Oh yeah," muttered Umino as he slapped the panel back in place, then followed Naru inside.

They were temporarily plunged into darkness as Naru let the doors slide shut again. Moments later, they could hear Unuscione and Cortez arguing just beyond them. Naru clenched her fists, expecting them to come in and search the place. But they passed on by, none the wiser.

"Good thing most of Magneto's cronies aren't too swift," Naru whispered. By then, their eyes began to adjust to the low light. The two of them looked around, seeing crates stacked everywhere.

"Hmmm, some sort of storage area? This seems a bit off the beaten path to be useful to stash stuff," said Umino.

"Still, let's have a look," said Naru. "It'll probably be a while before the Sailor Senshi can find us. Maybe we can find you another weapon or something."

Naru took the topmost crate off the nearest stack. It was hard to tell, given her strength, but that crate sure seemed lighter than she would have guessed. Doubtful this one had anything useful for Umino. Still, she opened it up. But whatever she was expecting, it certainly wasn't what she found inside.

She just stood there, not quite believing what she was seeing. Umino walked up to take a look. "Well, now we know why this spot's off the beaten path," said Umino dryly. "I guess this is where Magneto stashes stuff he can't quite throw away, but puts it out of sight and out of mind."

That made perfect sense, but it wasn't what Naru was reflecting on at the moment.

Her jealousy and resentment toward Usagi had simmered a long time. She desired to be a Sailor Senshi, to radiate such confidence and beauty, to be able to help so many. As it turned out, that sort of destiny wasn't hers to follow. Instead of a graceful princess, she became a monstrously strong freak oozing filth. But Makoto pleaded with her, tried to tell her another destiny awaited, if she only made the right choice.

Naru had scoffed at that notion. What destiny could be grander than finding out you were a reincarnated princess and warrior, with a duty to protect the whole world? And yet it was as if she was destined to find this, a clear reminder of the path she should have chosen.

Thanks to her rage and bitterness, however, she instead tried to forge her own path. Lashing out at everyone who offered a helping hand, letting grief consume her. Only to realize far too late that that was exactly what Erina Kizachi wanted from the beginning. She allowed her grief over losing Nephrite and then her mother to boil over, letting herself be duped like Nephrite had been by Queen Beryl. And in the process, refusing to honor her mother's last words and final wish.

The Sailor Senshi weren't to blame for Nephrite's death, or her mother's. They were superheroes, but they weren't perfect. Yet Naru lashed out at them all the same, even as they tried to make up for their mistakes. Regardless, the Sailor Senshi were coming to her rescue, despite all her poor choices thus far.

As she stared at the crate's contents, Naru reflected on what Makoto and Kitty said were her mother's last words. Then, she thought back to what Nephrite expected her to do.

Her terrible choices had brought things to this point, and there were still choices to be made.

But there, at last, Naru made her most fateful choice.

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Coughing and sputtering, clutching her aching head, Sailor Uranus picked herself off the floor. The blaring alarms and flashing lights going off everywhere, followed by Magneto's station-wide alert, weren't helping matters either. She could feel cold stone underneath her knees before slowly standing up, along with a rush of air. Opening her eyes as she turned around, she saw Sailor Mercury using Shine Aqua Illusion to plug the hole they made in the side of Magneto's base. Uranus could see other hallways just beyond the hole before it was sealed. By using the Sailor Planet Attack, they must have penetrated quite deep into Asteroid M.

Uranus wasn't the only one stunned by the blowback from plowing into Asteroid M. Many of the other Senshi were just picking themselves off the rocky floor. And right behind her, Uranus heard stifled sobs from Sailor Moon. Turning around, she saw Sailor Moon just standing up, rubbing her bottom. "You OK, princess?" asked Uranus, raising an eyebrow.

Sailor Moon choked back another sob before smiling weakly. "I'll survive. Using the Sailor Planet Attack while teleporting isn't too hard. It's sticking the landing afterward that's the challenge." She smiled again as she accepted Uranus's hand for help up.

"Well, we made it aboard Asteroid M," said Venus. "But this place is even bigger than Fury and Xavier said. Now what do we do?"

"We stick to the plan," said Neptune coolly. "One team locates Naru and Umino, while the rest carve a path of destruction and converge on Magneto."

Mercury's visor was still out. She was scrutinizing something on the readout while punching commands into her computer. "I'm picking up intense electromagnetic distortions on the far end of the asteroid. It's got to be him."

"And if what Professor X said about his old buddy is anything to go by, the anger and sorrow this guy radiates along with electromagnetic waves should be a beacon for me as well," said Mars. "But what about Naru? I'm still getting pings of dark energy. Is it the same for your mirror, Neptune?"

Neptune gazed into her mirror. "Yes, I'm still picking up faint traces of dark power. Much closer to us than Magneto."

"Then it's decided," said Sailor Moon. "The Inner Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen split into two teams, and we make our way to Magneto. The rest go after Naru and Umino."

"I've been thinking about that, princess," said Uranus. "Is there any special reason Neptune and I shouldn't face Magneto again?"

"Uhhh, because he took you two apart the last time?" Chibi-Moon pointed out innocently, but with a wry smile. Lockheed, perched on her shoulder, stuck his tongue out at Uranus.

Uranus growled at them, but Mercury quickly cut in. "Also, we may need the Sailor Planet Attack again."

"And we don't have any time to argue about this," added Tuxedo Kamen. "Magneto saw us coming, and no doubt he's sent the Brotherhood and Acolytes after us. We must stay on the move."

Uranus sighed in resignation. "Very well, we'll locate and rescue Umino and Naru. Just... don't do anything rash, Odango."

Again, Sailor Moon smiled weakly. "What, like pick a fight with one of the most dangerous supervillains ever on his home turf?" she asked innocently.

Uranus smiled in return. Sailor Moon was doing a better job than usual of covering up her fear. She knew the girl well enough to see how terrified she was.

The Inner Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen took off one way, leaving Uranus to trudge down another. Neptune fell in step beside her, glancing down into her mirror. Lockheed flew over their heads and fluttered just ahead of them, while Chibi-Moon brought up the rear.

For a good while, they made their way quietly through the halls of Asteroid M, Neptune only occasionally giving out directions. So far, there was no sign of Magneto's minions. That suited Uranus just fine. There was a good deal on her mind, not to mention she was concentrating herself.

But given how close she and Neptune were, it was little surprise she sensed something was amiss. "Something on your mind, Uranus?" she asked, her nose still in her mirror.

"Other than how I'd much prefer making that arrogant sod Magneto pay, instead of tracking down the little brat who also thrashed the both of us? Twice," Uranus spat bitterly.

Neptune chuckled a little. "Well, it's also a matter of rescuing Umino. He certainly didn't do anything to deserve this."

"True, very true," Uranus admitted. Umino had done the unexpected, standing up to Naru and refusing to commandeer those Sentinels. It was possibly what finally began to sober Naru up, a bucket of ice water in her face. "Still, I can't help but wonder if Naru is truly worth the bother," said Uranus.

Neptune shook her head. "Even if we discount how she turned the tide against Mastermold, the girl willingly turned herself in afterward," she reminded Uranus. "She was taking another step to make amends. I was... truly shocked by that choice. It made me rethink a lot of things, especially about mutants in general."

Uranus looked to her quizzically, and Lockheed and Chibi-Moon's curiosity was piqued as well. "What about mutants?" asked Chibi-Moon.

"As this whole mess began to bubble over, I came to think it was dangerous. How these people could have such awesome power due to a freak of fate, untied to any purpose or destiny," said Neptune. "You held similar sentiments Uranus, don't forget. And my run-in with Rogue... Well, _THAT_ shouldn't have improved my outlook any. But the more time we spent with the X-Men, and saw how they kept choosing to do the right thing no matter what, I softened my stance."

"And now Naru's choices show she's turning away from what made her Eclipse persona so horrific, I get it," grumbled Uranus. "Still, you can't blame me if I remain hesitant to trust her, or completely forgive her."

"None of us have to. It's not up to us to judge her. Naru agreed to stand trial," Neptune pointed out. "We're merely here to bring her back so she can."

"I suppose that's one way of looking at it," Uranus admitted. "Still, I'd feel much better if..." Uranus stopped in her tracks, sensing something was wrong.

"Oh great. What?" demanded Chibi-Moon.

"Even here in this asteroid, I can hear whispers on the wind," said Uranus.

"Consider yourself fortunate," said Neptune. "Will all the water contained in reservoirs and pipes, there's no seas to whisper to me."

"Yes, it's _VERY_ fortunate. There's danger lurking close by, something hauntingly familiar," said Uranus. Lockheed seemed to sense something too, as there was an urgency to his fluttering about now.

"Neptune, could it be Naru? Have we closed in already?" asked Chibi-Moon.

"I don't think so. The last reading I got was still a good distance away, on some level below ours," said Neptune.

"Then let's assume it's something else, something decidedly more hostile," said Uranus, producing her Space Sword. The three of them stood their ground, ready to pounce as soon as an enemy tried to ambush them. Uranus could even see flames brewing within Lockheed's mouth as he flew about.

Unfortunately, the immediate threat wasn't around them, but underneath. Even with her senses on alert, Uranus was taken by surprise when the floor beneath her crumbled away. Neptune and Chibi-Moon cried out, reaching for her, but it was too late. Uranus fell into the sinkhole, which sealed itself up as soon as she tumbled through, cutting off all light.

Uranus felt herself sliding down some sort of transport tube. _Oh great, will this thing spit me out into space!?_ Uranus wondered, already fearing the worst. After a few moments, though, it deposited her someplace else. A more brightly-lit portion of the asteroid, with panels and plating lining much of the chamber's walls, though some orangish-brown rocks still jutted out.

Clutching her Space Sword, Uranus rose to her feet. "OK, that wasn't random. One of you clearly wanted to separate me from the others. Show yourself!" Uranus demanded in English, her bellowing voice echoing in the chamber.

She half-expected Magneto to emerge and take credit. Instead, a set of double-doors slid open. In stepped a huge man in a ragged brown longcoat, with an unkempt mane of blond hair.

"Ya got that right, Tenoh," growled Sabretooth. "Out of all them Sailor Senshi, you're the one who's tickled my fancy the most."

"Is that so?" spat Uranus. She wasn't exactly flattered by Sabretooth telling her this, having a good idea why he felt this way, thanks to both Gambit and personal experience. Sabretooth was a bloodthirsty hunter, pure and simple. No doubt he saw her as the most entertaining game among the Sailor Senshi to be hunted.

"Yep. Can sense stuff on the wind, right?" Sabretooth asked in a taunting voice. "Well, I can feel it in my bones, practically smell his stink on the wind. The runt's comin', ain't he? Figure I can give 'im your head as a welcoming gift."

"Come and take it," Uranus dared, raising her Space Sword. Snarling, Sabretooth dashed into the chamber, claws bared.

He was just as swift and lethal as before. Uranus managed to keep him at bay, but his speed and strength were still considerable hurdles to overcome. And just as before, even the most devastating wounds she inflicted with her sword healed almost instantly, while the pain from his punches would linger for Uranus.

Worst of all, now that Sabretooth knew Uranus was willing to go in for the kill, he took extra pains to make sure she couldn't strike at his throat. Instead, thanks to his speed, Sabretooth eventually grabbed _HER_ by the throat. Uranus feared he would poke the claw on his thumb through her windpipe and finish her. Instead, he hoisted her up and delivered a few body blows.

 _Ugh, not as excruciating as when Rogue does it, but I'll still be feeling these in the morning,_ Uranus grumbled silently as Sabretooth tossed her aside. _He could've finished me right there, but instead he just wants to drag this out, make me suffer._ She slowly rose, Space Sword still in one hand and clutching her gut with the other.

"Got some fight left in you. Good," Sabretooth sneered as he drew close again. Then he roared, readying himself for a lunge. But just as his feet left the floor, something blasted him away. Something... black.

Eyes widening in surprise, Uranus looked to the direction that blast came from. It came from the open doorway, beyond which there was still darkness. A figure slowly stepped into the chamber's light. Uranus's eyes were assaulted by a bright yellow and blue. Some sort of form-fitting suit worn by a little girl, whose head was bowed.

Slowly, the girl looked over to Sabretooth. Uranus gasped, seeing it was Naru. There was no fury in those eyes anymore, or anxiety, or confusion. Just a cold determination. As Uranus stared, she got a better look at what Naru was wearing. Namely, what was on that suit's belt buckle. A circular X emblem.

It was one of those old X-Men uniforms. Somehow, Naru got hold of one, ripped off the sleeves, and put it on. Before, Uranus still had mixed feelings about this girl. Now, Naru made it clear where she stood.

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And BOOM, suckas. This was the point of all those 'Naru as Sailor Earth' stories, right? The awesomeness factor of seeing Naru with superpowers of her own, strutting her stuff in her own superhero costume. The same basic idea applies in this one, even if Naru winds up batting for a completely different team. But for this story, I purposely made it long and drawn out. So when we reached the point of finally seeing Naru in costume, it would feel EARNED.

So long,

Grey-X


	36. Make an X-Man of Me

**Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse**

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 36: Make an X-Man of Me

9-30-2018

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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"Disappointing, Creed," spat Naru, glaring at Sabretooth coldly. "I thought you were good enough to not fall for the same trick twice." Sabretooth growled as he got back on his feet. Uranus looked from him to Naru, who now had ooze flowing down her bare arms, clenched fists crackling with dark power. "Take a minute to rest, Sailor Uranus. I got this."

"Oh, do you?" sneered Sabretooth. "Five minutes after ya find a set o' those blue and yellow pajamas, ya talk like yer all tough and professional? Yeah, regular Captain America we got over here, Tenoh..."

Despite herself, Uranus found herself agreeing with Sabretooth. Sabretooth wouldn't be an easy conquest for Naru either, and simply deciding to put on one of those uniforms didn't make one battle savvy. Also, despite Naru's willingness to wear the X-Men's colors, a twinge of distrust still lingered in Uranus.

"I've survived getting gutted by your old buddy, and flung him around like a rag doll," said Naru. "Think you can do better than him?"

That had the intended effect. Sabretooth roared and sprang forward on all fours, and Naru charged to meet him. Ignoring Naru's suggestion, Uranus readied her sword to blast Sabretooth while Naru was drawing his attention.

But Sabretooth was too quick. He was nearly upon Naru. But just as Sabretooth was about to tackle her, Naru vanished in a flash of black flames. As Sabretooth snatched nothing but air, Naru reappeared a few meters away. Tendrils of black gunk reached out to ensnare Sabretooth. Roaring, Sabretooth found himself yanked forward toward Naru. Taking advantage of his confusion, Naru landed a piledriving punch into his gut. This sent the rabid beast flying toward the far end of the chamber, smashing into exposed rock.

Snarling, Sabretooth pried himself out of the mini-crater his body created and charged again. Naru tried keeping him at bay with bursts of black lightning, but he was too swift, ducking and swerving around each and every one. As he lunged at her again, Naru used her tendrils to pry a nearby metal tile from the floor. Just as he closed in, Naru took it in her hands and smacked him down with it. Uranus swore she heard some bones shatter. She moved in to clobber Sabretooth again, but Sabretooth grabbed the tile. He glared down at Naru, as a predator would its cornered prey. His claws dug into the metal, leaving gouges.

Naru tried conducting her black lightning through the tile, but it was too late. Sabretooth flung it aside and landed a spinning kick into Naru's face. She was somewhat braced for it, and only staggered back a little. But with his speed, Sabretooth easily took advantage of that opening. He grabbed Naru's head, charged over to a nearby wall, and slammed her against it. Sabretooth ran and dragged her against it, first over metal tiles and then jagged rock.

"I'm way faster, girlie, and got more than a century o' experience over ya," jeered Sabretooth. Just as Naru was working up a charge of dark power, Sabretooth slammed her onto the ground so hard, a tile buckled. "But you got some muscle on you, kid, I'll give you that. And a whole lotta guts." He then brandished his claws. "Let's see what they look like."

"Let's not," said Uranus. "Space Sword Blaster!"

Sabretooth turned, about to leap aside, but was a fraction of a second too late. The blast hit dead-center, knocking the snarling mutant off his feet, just as Naru got back on hers.

"You OK, Osaka?" asked Uranus, walking up to her.

"Yeah, I suppose. Guess that's one more thing I owe you, on top of everything else I need to make up for," said Naru uneasily.

 _So she IS serious about turning a new leaf,_ Uranus mused, her doubts ebbing. "Forget it for now. It's not like you haven't taken some beatings from Neptune and I, and..." A roar from Sabretooth interrupted her. He was already back on his feet, glaring at the pair with murderous glee. "And we have a mutual enemy who's begging for a beating. He's easily a match for either of us, though."

"That he is," said Naru, rubbing her head. "Double-team him?"

Uranus's eyes widened as she looked down to her, then she smirked. Sabretooth charged again, and Naru and Uranus dashed forward to meet his challenge.

Uranus reached Sabretooth first. Sabretooth tried to deflect her sword swipe, but the blade still dug deep into his shoulder. That left him open to a double-fisted smash charged with dark energy, right into his spine. Sabretooth reached around to swipe at Naru with his claws, giving Uranus an opening. A drop kick right in his face nearly made him teeter over, and another burst of black lightning knocked him back a good distance.

"Blast me away all ya want, Osaka," Sabretooth growled as he sprang back up. "No gettin' 'round how I had to do what you didn't have the stomach for!"

"What's he talking about?" Uranus demanded.

"Not important," said Naru quickly. "Just get him!"

Sabretooth swiftly closed in, but once again, the two of them kept him on the receiving end. Uranus wasn't as strong as Sabretooth, but made up for it with speed and skill of her own. And while Naru had very little actual combat experience, her far greater strength more than made up for it. While trying to fend off one of them, Sabretooth left himself open to a blow from the other. Eventually, they wore him down to the point Uranus sank her sword into his heart. Naru flung him away with a tendril as he roared in rage. Not missing a beat, Uranus raised a fist and collected power.

"World Shaking!" Uranus roared, punching the ground to send out her attack. As it travelled along the ground, upturning tiles, Naru flung dark power at it, making it crackle with black lightning.

Their combination attack struck Sabretooth before he hit the ground. If he was roaring in pain, it was drowned out by crackling dark power and the sound of him smashing into a wall again. He was smothered into the wall by the attack, sheared by the winds as surges of dark power penetrated deep. When it all dissipated, Sabretooth slumped to the ground, struggling to stand back up.

This was their chance. "Naru, fastball special!" cried Uranus. Naru didn't hesitate to hurl the Senshi of Wind at the evil mutant. She soared over to Sabretooth, knocking him back down with a flying kick to his face, then plunged her sword into his spine. Then she kicked him over, so he was leaning against the wall. "That'll keep you immobile long enough for this!" Uranus spat, ready to do what Gambit suggested. She grabbed a handful of Sabretooth's mangy mane and lifted his head up, aiming to slice his throat open.

Before she could strike, a tendril wrapped around her wrist. "No, Uranus. Don't sink to his level."

"Please, that's a little disingenuous coming from you," snarled Uranus, trying to pull her arm free.

"Is it?" Sabretooth gurgled, grinning. "She couldn't bring herself to off the oaf responsible for her mother's death. Yours truly had to do it."

"And you shut up," spat Naru. A tendril lashed out to grab Sabretooth by the face, then slam it repeatedly into the wall until he finally fell unconscious. Then she retracted it, along with the one gripping Uranus's wrist. "He's right. Magneto offered me the chance to get revenge on Gai Izumi myself. When I spared him, Sabretooth killed him anyway. I felt no joy, no relief, just disgust and shock. Like I was looking in the mirror, at myself a few days ago." The pleading look in Naru's eyes, mixed with wisdom gained after learning a hard lesson, actually gave Uranus pause. "Trust me, I know _EXACTLY_ what kind of monster Sabretooth is. That's why I won't kill him outright, I won't be like these psychos."

Uranus looked down at Sabretooth's crumpled form, blood still pooling from his body. She sighed in defeat, then said, "He'd probably somehow heal from a slit throat too. Still, if he's not restrained..."

"Gotcha." Naru brought out some tendrils again. They wrapped around Sabretooth's arms and legs. For a moment, he was suspended limply like a puppet, until Naru slammed him against the wall, her goop pinning him to it. "It'll be a while before he claws free of that."

As the pair turned to walk toward the open doorway, Uranus said, "Some of the other X-Men have also seen what Sabretooth is all about, especially Remy and Logan. They might disagree, say that we're ensuring there'll be future victims of his bloodlust."

"Wasn't that the rationale for killing Eclipse if that chemical weapon didn't work?" Naru reminded her sternly. Uranus fell silent, not sure how to reply. "But if you want to make sure there aren't any future victims of these loons, you and the other Senshi will lend me a hand."

"Hang on a second, the whole reason we're here is to rescue you! Now you're giving the orders!?" Uranus snarled.

"Fine then," came Umino's voice. He stepped into the light, holding a strange-looking shotgun. "But if you're not interested in smashing up this asteroid's computers so Magneto can't recreate Kizachi's Sentinels..."

Uranus looked over to him in shock. "Kizachi... gave him all her data?"

"It was her plan all along. Cause chaos in Japan as a power play to drum up mutant support, then turn humanity's signature defense against them," said Umino.

"She's here on Asteroid M, too," added Naru. "Just because I don't want her blood on my hands anymore doesn't mean I'm leaving her behind. If I'm going to be hauled before a court, so is she."

Uranus looked from Naru to Umino, then hung her head. Just snatch up Umino and Naru, then get out. It was supposed to be a simple job, but now things had taken a complicated turn. "Oh well, I said I wanted a little more action," grumbled Uranus. "Careful what you wish for."

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Sailor Mars's guess was right on the money. The deep-rooted grief and anger Magneto clung to served as a beacon for her spiritual senses, even over the distances within his asteroid. Even if that weren't the case, the sheer power he radiated over a purely physical spectrum would have guided Mars to him. Sure, the X-Men drilled it into them already, that Magneto would be an enemy like no other. Neptune, prideful as she was, even admitted that his power frightened her, and Mars herself got a taste of it hours before. But to _SENSE_ it like this, coming in much more profoundly than any of the Dark Generals...

 _We've got Sailor Moon on our side though,_ Mars told herself. _As soon as Magneto drops his guard and gives her an opening, she can blow him away._

Currently, however, Sailor Moon wasn't at her side. She was leading a separate team through the asteroid. At the moment, Mars made a mad dash to the far side of Asteroid M with Sailor Venus and Tuxedo Kamen, running through a seemingly endless array of corridors. Tuxedo Kamen claimed he had memorized a good deal of the intel S.H.I.E.L.D. and the X-Men provided, and this would help them navigate Asteroid M. Mars hoped that, combined with her special senses, it would be enough.

They were coming up on the end of another corridor, but massive steel doors were sliding shut. Not missing a beat, a fiery bow formed in Mars's hand. Out the corner of her eye, she saw Venus touch her lips.

"Mars Flame Sniper!"

"Venus Love-and-Beauty Shock!"

The doors were blown apart before they could completely close. They wouldn't be slowing their team down. Mars wouldn't let anything slow them down as they carved a path of destruction. The sooner they could regroup with Sailor Moon and the others, the better. Mars figured Tuxedo Kamen felt even more strongly about that.

"Tuxedo Kamen, how's Sailor Moon doing?" Mars asked as they charged through the smoldering wreckage of the doors. They wound up in some circular chamber, with many paths branching off. Hopefully, between Tuxedo Kamen's link and her senses, they could pick the quickest path to Magneto.

"Frustrated, determined, but no harm has come to her," said Tuxedo Kamen. "Hopefully this means her team is progressing smoothly."

"Which is more than can be said of you three chumps!" came a growly voice all of a sudden. The three of them scattered and ducked aside as some strange blasts shot at them from one of the tunnels.

Mars caught a glimpse of the one called Random, his forearms basically a conglomeration of barrels for some organic cannon. Tuxedo Kamen lobbed roses at him. They sank into his chest, eliciting curses and grunts. From what Mars knew about him, that would hardly slow him down. Worse, Toad sprang from another tunnel, tackling Tuxedo Kamen.

"Let's see what the boiling point is of that goop you're made of, Random!" spat Mars, bringing her hands together. "Fire Soul!"

Her stream of flame rushed toward Random while he was distracted. But suddenly, it rushed back toward her!

"What the hell!?" cried Mars as she hit the floor. The ball of flame rushed by, and soon dissipated. Soon her confusion faded, recalling why this happened before. "Oh no, not you again," she grumbled as she stood back up. Pyro was strutting down another tunnel, alongside the one called Avalanche.

Venus had just used her Love-Me Chain to bind Random's blaster arms together, and landed a vicious kick to his face. "Don't worry, Mars. Finish dealing with Random, I've got this!" she yelled to her in Japanese. Then in English, she shouted at Avalanche and Pyro, "You boys are mine! Let me show you how to lay down the law!"

"Oh you will, Hairbow?" sneered Avalanche. Venus kicked off of Random, soaring toward the pair with a vindictive look in her eyes. No doubt the thought these two had once been officers of the law in America turned her stomach. Before she could reach them, Avalanche gestured. The rocky ground came alive, rippling toward both Venus and Mars like a tidal wave. Venus couldn't get out of the way in time, and a second later it swallowed up Mars as well.

The two were slammed into the far end of the chamber, half-buried in rocks and dirt. Without the durability afforded to a Senshi, Mars knew they would probably be out cold. The wave of earth nearly hit Tuxedo Kamen as well, who was still locked in combat with Toad. A swift strike from his cane finally knocked Toad away.

He looked to the pair, then at the other mutants. Random finally freed himself of Venus's chains by reverting his arms to normal. They slid off, and Avalanche and Pyro rushed to back him up. "Mars, Venus, hurry and get free! I'll run interference!" Tuxedo Kamen chucked roses to hold them back and buy time. It worked for a few moments, but Pyro shot out some flames to form a barrier of sorts. The last batch of roses thrown was instantly incinerated, and the wall of flame crept closer.

Thankfully, Tuxedo Kamen bought just enough time for them to dig free. Mars pulled herself up from the mound of upturned space rock first, then helped Venus free herself. They couldn't really see the Brotherhood through that wall of fire, but Venus didn't look worried. "Enough playing around," snarled Venus. "Crescent Beam Shower!"

Her shots sprayed out everywhere, going through that fire barrier. No doubt it was enough to get the Brotherhood to scatter, as it soon faded. As Pyro and the others were forced to duck for cover, Venus kept up the pressure. Her chain smashed into Random and Avalanche, sending them flying back down the chamber. Toad hopped over it, but Tuxedo Kamen intercepted him in midair.

That left Pyro to deal with. Venus was in a good position to blow him away. But despite being ravaged by this Legacy Virus, Pyro was still crafty and dangerous. Besides, Mars wanted payback after Pyro made her feel so helpless and useless back in the sewer.

"Venus, keep on Random and Avalanche!" cried Mars. "Let me handle Pyro!"

Venus's eyes widened, looking at Mars as if she were insane. "Mars, in case it hasn't sunk in, you're the _LAST_ one who should face Pyro..."

"Just _DO IT_ , Venus!" spat Mars. "I want Pyro for myself!"

Venus shot her one last confused glare, then turned to fire off Crescent Beam Shower again to keep Random and Avalanche on the defensive. That left Mars to stare down Pyro. Despite looking quite enervated due to his illness, he had the nerve to try and look confident. Perhaps he had reason to, thanks to how his power was such a perfect counter for her attacks. But Mars hoped one was a trump card that would catch Pyro off-guard.

Pyro sneered something in English with a peculiar accent. Mars didn't really understand him, but there was no mistaking the mockery in his voice, the bravado. He really thought she had no way to get around his mutant ability.

 _This better work,_ Mars thought, producing an ofuda. She began to chant. Through squinted eyes, she took in Pyro's confusion. Hopefully that would buy her enough time. Just as he raised his fists to spew flame of his own, Mars flung the ofuda at him. While he was focused on that, Mars put her fingers together to collect her own power. "Fire... Soul..."

Pyro shouted something again, probably mocking her for thinking she could beat him with a piece of paper. But hopefully his momentarily bafflement and weakness from the Legacy Virus would give her an opening for this. "BIRD!" she finished. Her flames shot into the ofuda, becoming a blazing bird of prey that soared at Pyro with talons bared.

Pyro flashed a smug smile, already trying to take control of it. It soon faded. The bird was halted a few meters from him, but Mars could see the strain it took for him to manage even that.

"This attack is directly imbued with my will, Pyro!" Mars cried as he concentrated, willing the bird to fly closer. "This is it, Pyro, my will against yours! Which is stronger, I wonder!?"

Mars knew Pyro probably couldn't understand her, but no language barrier could mask the look on Pyro's face. He crept back anxiously as her flaming bird nudged ever closer. This was indeed a battle of wills, and Pyro was losing.

His confidence had cracked, and soon enough, so did his will. Unable to win out against Mars's, the huge bird shot forward, talons ready to rake him. Pyro screamed as the bird pecked at his diseased flesh, and then the fuel tank on his back. Crying in panic, Pyro frantically unstrapped it and tossed it away, but he couldn't fling it far enough. He was blasted back from the explosion, knocked out cold.

Mars took a moment to glare down at the downed Brotherhood member. Her face remained stony, but on the inside, she felt a surge of confidence and pride. That was one more of these villains down, not to mention the one most vexing for her. She was feeling a bit more confident about their chances against Magneto.

But first, they still had to fight their way to him. Mars looked back to the battle still raging. Random managed to land a shot on Venus from afar. Mercifully, it wasn't strong enough to punch through her fuku, but still, she crumpled, clutching her heart. Meanwhile, Tuxedo Kamen leaped aside to avoid both a literal tongue lashing from Toad and an undulating wave of rock sent out by Avalanche. His face betraying how he had run out of patience, Tuxedo Kamen brandished his cane, just as Toad and Avalanche were in the perfect position. He willed it to extend, and it sank into Toad's gut, making him slam into Avalanche.

They slammed into the rocky wall, but weren't quite out yet. Mars took it upon herself to make sure they would be. A fiery bow formed in her hands again. "Mars Flame Sniper!" she roared, shooting her arrow so it detonated against the wall close to the pair. The explosion had them eating dirt, and they didn't stir after that.

That left only Random to deal with. He took aim at Mars, but Tuxedo Kamen once again disoriented him with roses, this time aiming for his face. Two punched through the lenses of his sunglasses, making him cry out in rage and pain. "Awww, again with the fucking roses!?" he demanded.

Mars rushed to Venus's side to help her up. "Venus, are you OK? That blaster fire of his looks really nasty..."

"Oh, it is," grumbled Venus, still clutching her heart. Acrid smoke wafted up from between her fingers. "But don't worry about me. Just charbroil that goopy glop of testosterone, will you?"

Mars looked back over to Random, fury in her eyes. He had just pulled those roses out, and no doubt his eyes would soon reform and function again. If she was to strike and end this, it had to be now. "Oh don't worry, I will," spat Mars. "Fire Soul!"

Random transformed his arms back into blasters and took aim, but it was too late. He screamed as the burst of flame swallowed him up. When it faded, half of his clothing had burned away, and he was little more than a grey, bubbling puddle on the rocky floor, desperately trying to pull himself back together.

The three of them stared at the writhing puddle for a moment. "Well, I don't think we'll have to worry about him for a bit," said Tuxedo Kamen sheepishly.

"Yeah, that's four of the Brotherhood down for the count!" Venus added with a sly grin.

"Hopefully we'll whittle down the rest before we reach Magneto," said Mars. Then she looked up, and concentrated. In the heat of battle, she had lost her fix on Magneto's power and his deep-rooted anguish and anger. But it wasn't long before she got a good idea of which path to duck down. "This way," she said, pointing down the corridor entrance just beyond Random. The trio broke into a run, Mars more determined than ever to take this fight to Magneto. They just trampled four of his cronies, and soon enough, the Master of Magnetism would be next.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sailor Neptune squinted as she held the wires between her fingers apart, concentrating as best she could. It wasn't easy after being separated from Uranus like this. But just as when she was called to fight those Sentinels while Haruka was off with Usagi, it was a matter of doing whatever had to be done, no matter what uncertainty tugged at her heart. Still, something gnawed at Neptune. Despite being bereft of her gift of listening in on the waters while stuck on this space rock, she _KNEW_ in her heart Uranus had found trouble soon enough.

Yet she still had her Deep Aqua Mirror to guide her, and it was telling her that Naru was close by. Unfortunately, she, Chibi-Moon and Lockheed had hit a roadblock. Or rather, a reinforced blast door that would take too long to break through with her attacks.

"Any day now, Neptune." Chibi-Moon's complaining sure wasn't improving Neptune's mood any. "We can't afford to stay in one place for too long."

"I'm well aware of that. Don't rush me!" Neptune snapped. "Sailor Mercury and Tuxedo Kamen aren't the only ones who can fiddle with electronics, you know." Neptune was fairly certain she had found the right two wires, and crossed them. "So here we go..."

Suddenly, _ANOTHER_ blast door slit shut over the first one.

Chibi-Moon and Lockheed stared at the newly-erected barrier, then glared at Neptune. Neptune simply glared back. "Go on, make a Star Wars joke, I dare you..." Neptune sneered testily.

Chibi-Moon looked ready to fire off a nasty retort, regardless. Before she could, Lockheed's head pricked up. He launched himself off of Chibi-Moon's shoulder and fluttered back down the way they came. Neptune wondered what had drawn the little dragon's attention. She readied her mirror, prepared for anything. She felt a swell of relief when she spotted Uranus amid all the flashing warning lights. Oddly enough, Lockheed didn't look mollified.

"Sailor Uranus? What happened? How'd you find us so soon, with Magneto pretty much jamming our communicators?" asked Chibi-Moon.

"I can still listen in on the winds, even on this asteroid, remember?" Uranus said aloofly. "And even better, I found our lost little lambs."

"Naru and Umino? You've found them? They're safe?" Neptune's heart lifted at this news. It was too good to be true, but something in the back of her mind reminded her that things that sounded so usually were. Not to mention, Lockheed still seemed suspicious of her.

"They went ahead on another path. Turns out it'll be in our best interest to smash up Asteroid M's computers along with Magneto's face," said Uranus as she walked closer. "I just came to get you so we can double back and back them up."

"They took off in a different direction?" Neptune asked, confused. "But my mirror weas telling me that Naru's dark energy signature was rather close by, and..." As she held up her mirror, she glimpsed something that explained everything. She reacted in a heartbeat. "Submarine Reflection!" she roared, aiming her watery blast right at 'Uranus'.

"Neptune!? Have you gone nuts!?" demanded Chibi-Moon.

"Things are about to get nuts, little one," said Neptune, grimacing as 'Uranus' effortlessly dodged her attack. "That's actually Mystique, and I doubt she's alone!" Chibi-Moon looked back to see Mystique shapeshifting back to her usual form, grinning at them. Even a follow-up from Lockheed, who belched flames at her, didn't wipe that insufferable smile off Mystique's face.

"Right on the money, honey!" drawled a voice from the far end of the corridor. Neptune looked over to see Blob charging at them. Forgetting about Mystique, Lockheed zoomed over to spit fire in Blob's face, halting his advance. He shrieked with fury, blindly swatting at the dragon. From what Neptune read about the Blob, that would affect him more than most physical assaults, but wouldn't stop him.

"Lockheed, get clear!" Neptune cried as she gathered power. "Deep Submerge!" She hurled her ball of energized seawater right at Blob, smothering him with its water pressure. That probably wouldn't stop him either, but it would buy some time.

"I've got this, Neptune," said Chibi-Moon, bouncing Luna-P off the floor. It transformed into some sort of shoulder-mounted chain gun. Chibi-Moon didn't hesitate to unleash its fury. Mystique barely ducked for cover behind Blob in time. As Neptune feared, the shells bounced off the Blob's bulk. He guffawed stupidly as he leered at them, still advancing.

"If that's not to your liking, Blob, perhaps this will be! Submarine Reflection!" She raised her mirror, hoping her attack would be enough to blast Blob back. But again, her fears proved prescient. Professor X's files on this man had not exaggerated. He truly was capable of generating a localized gravitational force to anchor him wherever he stood. Not only were their attacks unable to force him back, but Blob was slowly taking steps forward. Neptune figured this guy wouldn't be as troublesome as Colossus, given he had a hide of dense fat instead of steel. How wrong Blob was proving her.

Even worse, she and Chibi-Moon were so focused on the Blob, they forgot about Mystique. She peeked out from behind Blob, leering at them as she threw a grenade.

"Chibi-Moon, take cover!" Neptune cried fearfully, but it was too late. They could easily tank the grenade's explosive force, but it did blow them back, halting their attacks. That gave Blob the opening he needed. He charged, knocking away Chibi-Moon as she struggled to stand and raise her weapon, then grabbed and hoisted up Neptune by her throat.

"Hey Raven, any reason you wouldn't want me to wring her neck?" Blob asked aloofly as Neptune tried to pry fingers as thick as sausages off her throat.

It was no use, the Blob was far too strong. _Why oh WHY is it always me fighting the mutants with super strength?_ Neptune silently cursed.

"Other than Magneto's unspoken expectation that the Sailor Senshi be taken alive, or how I'd like to polish off these Outers myself?" Mystique replied airily. She had a struggling Chibi-Moon in her arm, the barrel of a gun pressed to her head. This was enough to keep Lockheed from swooping in. "We may need them as hostages with Sailor Uranus still running around."

"Too bad I don't do hostage negotiations!" came a sharp cry over the alarms. "World Shaking!"

Swift as he was, by the time Blob turned around to face that voice, Uranus's attack hit home. Neptune was thrown aside as Uranus's attack rippled through Blob, stunning him, and Uranus didn't let up. From seemingly out of nowhere, she lunged at Blob, stabbing her Space Sword into his gut.

But predictably, even her sword couldn't pierce through his hide. Her arm literally disappeared into Blob's belly, eliciting another guffaw from the morbidly obese mutant. He swung his torso around, flinging Uranus away.

"Bad miscalculation, sweetie," Mystique jeered, noticeably pressing her gun against Chibi-Moon's temple a little more tightly. "It takes the likes of the Hulk or the Juggernaut to overpower Dukes here."

"Then it's you who has miscalculated," Uranus said with a smirk. "We got someone like that up here already."

That actually broke Mystique's composure. Neptune watched Mystique's sallow eyes fixate on the tip of Uranus's sword. That was when Neptune noticed a little bit of black goop on its tip.

There was a flash of black flames, and then something in bright blue and yellow launched out of it, heading straight for Blob. Neptune caught a glimpse of Naru's face, right before she leaped and landed a haymaker on Blob's. The suddenness of her attack forced Blob back, and Lockheed took advantage of the confusion. He dove at Mystique and bit down on her shoulder, forcing her to let go of Chibi-Moon.

Not to be outdone, Neptune sprang back up, rushing at Mystique. A spinning kick knocked away her gun, but Mystique swiftly came back with a sweep, knocking Neptune off her feet. Uranus didn't allow her a moment's breath, coming at her from behind with a punch. Mystique barely ducked aside in time, using Uranus's momentum to throw her over her shoulder.

As the pair double-teamed Mystique, Naru kept Blob occupied. He had the advantage of both speed and greater strength, but Naru made up for it with her writhing tendrils of goo, dark power and quick thinking. Shocks of black lightning didn't really hurt Blob, but did disorient him long enough for Naru to get in a few quick hits. Neptune could feel the chamber tremble a little each time one of Naru's blows struck Blob as he was anchored.

Even better, Naru was not alone. Lockheed kept swooping in to distract Blob by belching flames in his face, and Chibi-Moon fired off pink hearts into Blob's face whenever he couldn't. That gave Naru plenty of openings, and she took advantage of every one, pounding and pummeling Blob.

If this wasn't wearing Blob down, it was definitely making him angry. With a howl of fury, he jumped at Naru and Chibi-Moon, aiming to squash them. The chamber shook as he dropped down, and Blob even managed to swat Lockheed away. Lockheed became half-embedded in the far wall. Worse, he was swift enough to grab hold of Naru's head as she stood back up.

"Hands off my girl," came Umino's voice suddenly. Preoccupied with Mystique as she was, Neptune couldn't spot the boy. But somehow, electricity rippled all over Blob's face, and he accidentally flung Naru away. Unfortunately, this sent the girl soaring toward Neptune, and they toppled over, a tangle of limbs.

At least in the confusion, Uranus landed a punch that knocked Mystique back a few paces. Uranus was more than capable of keeping Mystique busy by herself, which was fortunate. Deciding that he could safely ignore Chibi-Moon and Umino, Blob lumbered toward Neptune and Naru, just as Neptune finally got the girl off of her.

"Nice try, little girl. But it ain't just a question of me bein' stronger. Once I get myself planted, like Mystique said, ain't no one but the Hulk or Juggernaut that can move me," drawled Blob.

"Ugh, I didn't catch all of that," grumbled Naru as she stood along with Neptune. Neptune looked her over, noticing the X insignia on her belt. Somehow, she found an X-Men uniform up here, and decided to wear it? Even though, unlike Uranus, she was willing to give the girl the benefit of the doubt despite all she had done to them, this truly shocked Neptune.

Realizing that Blob's drawling English must have confused Naru, Neptune said, "Uh, he's just bragging about how it's impossible to move him if he doesn't wish to be."

There was a mischievous glint in Naru's eyes. "Oh, is that so? Good thing I don't want him going anywhere. I want him to stay right where he is."

Naru summoned forth tendrils of her oil slick. They lashed out, wrapping themselves around Blob's arms and torso. Blob actually seemed amused, smirking at the pair. "What's this? Think ya can yank me free with a little tentacle rape or somethin'?"

Naru ignored Blob, and backed away. This seemed to stretch her tendrils like rubber bands. Neptune's eyes widened a little, guessing where this was going. Blob continued to guffaw as Naru stretched her tendrils even more tautly. Then she sent more out. Raising a fist, she had those extra tendrils pull free metal objects and plating on the surrounding floor and walls, transforming her forearm into a makeshift mace.

Blob seemed to understand what Naru was planning just as she hopped up, letting herself be flung forward, catapulted by her tendrils. With a shriek, Naru landed a blow with her mace-like arm, right on Blob's face. Thanks to how he had anchored himself, there was no rolling with it. Blob took the full force of Naru's blow, and it was enough to knock him silly.

But unfortunately, not unconscious. However, that did give Chibi-Moon an opening. She transformed Luna-P into a gun that sprayed sleeping gas in his face, and at last, Blob toppled. _What a relief,_ Neptune thought gratefully as Blob hit the deck hard. _Now we should be able to easily deal with..._

A grunt from Uranus made Neptune look over to them. Uranus had just been knocked back, groggy and with some blood dripping from her mouth. Her eyes widened with shock and indignation when she looked back to Mystique. Neptune shared it. Mystique had just copied her form, the cowardly witch!

Chibi-Moon stared at the two Sailor Neptunes, baffled. Umino then stepped past the Blob, wielding some strange-looking shotgun, looking just as perplexed. Naru, however, just stared ahead coldly.

"Oh great. Which one do we shoot?" asked Umino, looking from one Sailor Neptune to the other. Neptune hoped one of them would figure it out, and fast. She had no doubt Uranus could tell the difference, given a little time. But she had learned by now that if Mystique bought any time, anything could happen.

Neptune's worst fears were realized when Mystique spoke in her voice. "One of you just blast both of us." Something Neptune herself might say in a situation like this. No doubt Mystique aimed to trick them into taking her down for her. "There's no time, so..."

Still looking ahead with a grim expression, Naru sent out tendrils. But to Neptune's amazement, they wrapped around Mystique instead. Neptune swore Mystique's eyes went back to yellow for a moment, the shock breaking her concentration. Mystique was flung forward, and her face collided with the back of Naru's raised fist. She was unconscious before she hit the floor.

Neptune walked up and watched as Mystique's disguise melted away, slowly going back to her usual blue-skinned form. Then she looked over to Naru, who was staring down at Mystique with cold contempt. "H-H-How did you know she was the impostor?" Neptune demanded.

Naru cracked a smile. "Will you be mad if I said, 'I didn't.'?" Neptune's face fell, and she heard Uranus grumble as well. Shrugging her shoulders, Naru said, "But if you must know, I tagged Mystique soon after I showed up, figuring she would pull a stunt like that." Naru pointed down to a bit of goop lodged in the laces of Mystique's boot. "There's no way I'm ever letting her, or her Brotherhood goons, sucker me again," she added coldly.

 _The girl really has changed, for the better,_ Neptune realized. _Then again, the willingness to put on that uniform, and stand trial for her misdeeds, should've proven it already._

"At any rate, this nixes Mystique and Blob from the list," said Uranus.

"Too bad Unuscione and Fabian Cortez are still hanging around this part of the asteroid," said Umino. He walked over with Lockheed in his arms. Despite taking a hit from Blob, the little dragon seemed fine. "Worse, we've still got to find Asteroid M's computer core."

"Wait, Mystique wasn't lying about that part?" asked Chibi-Moon.

"Nope. Unless we want to deal with another army of Sentinels marching through Tokyo, we'd better get to that core before we leave," said Uranus. Considering how badly Uranus wanted to meet up with the Inner Senshi to help take down Magneto, that was a bold statement from her. Uranus looked to the blast doors. "I take it we can't just force our way through that?"

Naru walked over and tried to pull them apart. She could barely separate them by a few centimeters. "Lovely, hydraulics. I guess not, and I can't risk a blind teleport. Umino, think you can jerry-rig those wires?"

"Looks like someone already tried," said Umino. Neptune's face fell again, feeling Chibi-Moon's eyes on her back. "Oh well, I'll give it a shot."

As Umino fiddled with the wires, Neptune kept watching over Naru. It truly looked as if she had finally relinquished her anger, and her need for vengeance. Furthermore, she seemed... composed, focused on the mission, not unlike the Outer Senshi themselves. Maybe it was confidence that came from putting on a superhero's uniform, but the girl betrayed no anxiety now. As with some of the other Senshi, Neptune was a little jealous that she would add to the X-Men's ranks instead of their own.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

According to Sailor Mercury, they were closing in on Magneto, tracking his intense pulses of electromagnetic energy. This took them to the far side of the asteroid, where Sailor Moon saw the domes atop it and all the fixtures jutting out. Quite often, Sailor Moon could see Earth as the asteroid idly went around the planet. More and more, the three of them had to be careful not to smash up huge windows and blow themselves out into space. They had to be choosy about what they wrecked to draw attention, distracting the Acolytes so the X-Men could board.

As it turned out, those Acolytes included members Sailor Moon never saw before, no doubt held in reserve on this asteroid all this time. When you had someone who could teleport her people on and off the planet in an eyeblink, who commit too many of your forces? Or at least, that was how Mercury explained it.

At the moment, Sailor Moon didn't care much for the Acolytes' logistics. The Sailor Senshi had logistics of their own to worry about. Three of these new Acolytes had them pinned down. Three against three. The odds should have been even. Yet these three Acolytes had done a good job of tripping them up thus far.

"Waaaah!" Sailor Moon wailed as she crawled backward. She had ducked behind cover, some chunks of space rock that had fallen after they wrecked this chamber. Still, that Acolyte called Vindaloo, who oozed burning napalm from his pores like others sweated, was still flinging that nasty stuff everywhere.

This was no time to play it safe. They couldn't afford to be pinned too long. Taking a deep breath, Sailor Moon jumped out from behind cover, already taking off her tiara. "Moon Tiara Action!" she screamed, flinging it the instant she spotted Vindaloo. That flowing silvery hair, facial tattoos and creepy grin made him hard to miss.

Vindaloo ducked out of the way, and then, with an evil grin, flung a burst of ignited napalm right at Sailor Moon as she landed. Before she could even scream, Mercury stepped in. "Shine Aqua Illusion!" Mercury cried, her water forcing back Vindaloo's blazing gunk.

Now that he was dealt with, Sailor Moon saw another good use for her tiara. Another Acolyte called Barnacle, who had this weird ability to extend his body moisture and then harden it, just flung out his arm to pin Jupiter against a rocky wall. Her tiara smashed apart that extension just in time, before it hardened too much.

"Thanks a million, Sailor Moon," Jupiter croaked, eyeing Barnacle angrily. "Buddy, were you ever asking for it. Jupiter Oak Evolution!"

Jupiter spun, sending out her electrified leaves. The ones that struck Barnacle didn't penetrate too deeply. True to his namesake, the ugly lumps on his skin were hard enough to resist the onslaught. But Jupiter was also aiming at Vindaloo. He howled as some of the leaves clipped him, making him cease his efforts to smother Sailor Moon and Mercury in napalm.

That gave them the opening they needed. "Sailor Moon Kick!" Sailor Moon screamed as she caught her tiara and charged, planting her boot right between his eyes. Vindaloo toppled over, shrieking with fury. Sailor Moon planted a foot over his chest, aiming her kaleidoscope at his face, relishing how frustrated he looked. "Gotcha! Now, where's the last one of you?"

"And here I thought the high and mighty moon princess forgot all about me!" came a shrill voice. Sailor Moon turned just as it felt like she was struck by lightning. She toppled over, unable to move a muscle. Soon enough, Static's face, a young girl with short, brown hair, was leering down at her. "My Japanese isn't that great, but I don't think I need to explain what happened. My neuro-synaptic shocks just negated your powers and scrambled your nervous system." She pointed down at Sailor Moon, fingertips crackling with energy, then looked over to the other two Senshi. "And unless you two want Vindaloo to douse your princess in liquid death, you'll stand down and let Barnacle entomb you."

Mercury and Jupiter anxiously looked to each other. Or at least, it was a good attempt to look anxious. "Make a choice, girls! We don't have all day! Your boss certainly doesn't!"

Good, they were angry as well as overconfident, their attention drawn away from her. And as luck would have it, Sailor Moon could feel the numbness fading already. It took a painful effort, but she raised a trembling hand to her tiara, and her mouth fumbled to form words. "M-M-M-Moon... T-T-Tiara..." Vindaloo and Static looked back down in shock, just as Sailor Moon found the strength to fling it and scream, "ACTION!" It immediately curved back and struck Static in the back of the head, then rebounded to slam into Vindaloo's. Just enough power to knock them silly, which was all Sailor Moon could muster at the moment.

Barnacle, dumbstruck by how Sailor Moon could shake Static's disruptive power so quickly, was wide open. "Shabon Spray Freezing!" Mercury cried. Before Barnacle could blink, thick ice covered him from head to toe.

"There's some more moisture for him to chew on," spat Jupiter, looking from one downed Acolyte to another. "They really thought that a Sailor Senshi's power could be disrupted the same way a mutant's would be?"

"Still going to be a few minutes before I'm back in top form," Sailor Moon croaked, reaching up for a helping hand. Jupiter obliged, pulling her up, then letting Sailor Moon sling an arm over her shoulders. Mercury took point as they made their way through a tunnel leading to the next chamber, typing away at her computer.

"We're definitely getting closer," said Mercury as they stepped into the next chamber. "After all the fighting we've done so far, I'm quite anxious to teach Magneto a lesson and be done with it." Sailor Moon had been eyeing the view of Earth and into space, but the sudden vehemence in Mercury's voice made her look back ahead. "After everything Magneto's done, after he sowed such discord in Japan, he deserves whatever he gets! I have half a mind to freeze him solid and kick his head clean off!"

This wasn't like Mercury at all, and to Sailor Moon's surprise, she found herself _AGREEING_ with her! Her own anger was bubbling up, threatening to consume her as it had Naru for so long. Suddenly, she couldn't wait for her first chance to use the Ginzuishou to fry Magneto where he stood!

"Mercury, this isn't like you!" cried Jupiter. "That sort of talk is my thing, or maybe Uranus's, though I share the sentiment, and..." Jupiter's words trailed off. She gently removed Sailor Moon's arm and looked around. "Mercury, we're not alone in here."

Mercury's teeth were gritted, her face contorted in rage, yet she still had the presence of mind to activate her visor. "This thing's been getting fritzy the closer we get to Magneto, but... Definitely picking up life signs in here besides us. Not to mention some strange substance in the air. Some sort of strange pheromone, and... It's the one called Spoor, who secretes pheromones that spur people into a frenzy! It has to be!"

"Correct, Sailor Senshi. And he is not alone," came a confident, booming voice. The three of them whirled around just in time to see spurts of plasma energy being flung at them. Sailor Moon wailed as she ducked and wove around them, the effects of Static's power mercifully worn off. She caught glimpses of a rather short man with shaggy, animal-like brown fur covering his body. This was Spoor, one of the Acolytes who attacked that hospital. So were the Kleinstocks, who were firing those plasma blasts, and also came after Naru in Tokyo.

Mercury countered with Shabon Spray Freezing to force the Acolytes back. That bought them a few seconds, but the frigid mist was soon dissipated by some intense force. It was almost as if it was burned away.

And then, Sailor Moon saw the source of that voice from earlier. Exodus levitated himself down into the chamber, his eyes glowing with pent-up power and a desire to unleash it. Sailor Moon gulped, remembering what the X-Men and their files said about this guy. That he was possibly just as dangerous as Magneto, if not more so.

"Mercury, Jupiter, cover me! I've got to keep this guy busy!" Sailor Moon cried out, raising her kaleidoscope. "Moon Gorgeous Meditation!" Just like when she fought Magneto, she didn't worry about unloading too much. Anyone who could give Cable such a tough fight couldn't be chanced with.

As she feared, Exodus was able to force back her power, though it seemed to take a good deal of effort on his part. By using Mercury Aqua Rhapsody and Jupiter Oak Evolution, they forced Spoor and the Kleinstocks to take cover.

"Lord Magneto's wisdom is shown again. You are powerful beyond expectations, child, and your companions capable and loyal," came Exodus's voice over the shrill of their clashing attacks. "Unfortunately for you, I possess many myriad talents myself."

That was when Sailor Moon felt a thousand needles jabbing into her brain. It was only through sheer force of will that she kept up her assault, but it was already a losing struggle. Quick glances over at Jupiter and Mercury told her that he was affecting them as well. Soon Spoor and the Kleinstocks could emerge and take them down.

Just as Sailor Moon felt she couldn't take the pressure anymore, it faded. Through the bright, explosive light of their clashing attacks, she caught a flash of surprise on Exodus's face. And then, Sailor Moon felt something entirely different in her head. A calm, reassuring voice. _"Sailor Moon, I shall protect you from Exodus's own psychic talents, and the X-Men will cover you three as you withdraw."_

Sailor Moon knew this voice, all too well. Her swelled her heart with joy and relief. She turned back to where the Senshi entered this chamber, and saw Professor Xavier walking in, thanks to that powered suit. Not only that, Artemis and Luna sat on either shoulder, possibly lending their own telepathic power to him.

"You!" spat Exodus. "How is it you defile the home of Lord Magneto once again, gene-traitor!?" Exodus unleashed a concussive blast at them, but it struck some sort of invisible barrier.

"That would be me, Exodus. Bodysliding the X-Men in after the Sailor Senshi surprised Magneto and kept all of you occupied!" Sailor Moon turned to see Cable materializing, along with Iceman and Rogue. Rogue soared toward Spoor and the Kleinstocks, scooping them up and hurling them across the chamber. Iceman and Cable turned their power on Exodus, disorienting him long enough for Sailor Moon to punch through his defenses with her attack, sending him hurling through a rocky wall.

"That won't stop him for long, girls," said Iceman. He sped ahead on an ice slide, setting up barricades for when Exodus returned. "We can keep this guy busy while you soldier on. Give the buckethead one in my place, won't you Mercury?"

"B-B-But you know how Magneto fights better than I do, Drake," Mercury protested. "S-S-Shouldn't we move on together, and..."

"Sailor Senshi, there ain't no time to argue!" Rogue was flying around to avoid the Kleinstocks' bursts of plasma. She hurled a chunk of ice at them to force them to take cover again. "Accordin' to Cable and the professor, your other team is set to rendezvous with you three up ahead."

"Rogue is right. After what happened the last time I tried to stop Magneto on his turf like this..." Xavier shook his head. "I loathe having to put this burden on you, Sailor Moon, but I cannot risk doing it myself again. This time, you much teach my old friend a lesson."

"Sailor Moon, he's right! Just get moving!" Luna added. "We can help Xavier and Cable keep Exodus's mental powers in check, but you've got the power to put Magneto down!"

It was just like back in Tokyo, when Wolverine urged them to take advantage of the Magic Knights' offer to hold back Sentinels. And if Wolverine were here with them, Sailor Moon knew he'd tell her to do it again.

Tears in her eyes, Sailor Moon turned to Mercury and Jupiter. "Let's do what they say. We keep moving." Mercury and Jupiter stared at her, then looked up when Exodus burst from the asteroid wall, glowing eyes full of fury. "Just move already! Save your energy for Magneto!"

She rushed ahead, pushing them toward the exit at the far end. Exodus hurled a concussive blast at them, but Cable's telekinesis deflected it. Sailor Moon heard Exodus howl in frustration as the doors slid shut behind them, along with Iceman cutting loose and Rogue laughing.

They stared at the shut door for a moment, then at each other. "Professor X and the others were right," said Mercury suddenly. "Exodus is probably just as dangerous as Magneto. We can't risk him popping up while Magneto is hurling every metal object in reach at us."

"I know, Mercury, I know," said Sailor Moon softly. "I just hate having to do this again and again, like with..."

Jupiter placed a hand on Sailor Moon's shoulder. "Don't think like that. Sure, Magneto may be tougher than Beryl, but this time, we'll all be together."

Sailor Moon blinked back tears as she looked up into Jupiter's eyes, and nodded. The three turned and headed down the corridor, Mercury once again taking point, leaving her visor active. "That thing is still working OK, Mercury?" Sailor Moon asked.

"For the moment," said Mercury. She typed away at her computer again. "We're definitely headed in the right direction, and... Wait a minute, I'm picking up a completely different energy signature. Faint, but it's all around us, and..." Sailor Moon looked down, seeing what Mercury meant. Some sort of green mist was seeping up from the vents along the path. "Oh no, Amelia Voght! She's about to..."

Mercury's words faded away as their bodies did, dissolving into green mist. If Sailor Moon's heart hadn't dematerialized already, it would be hammering. Was Amelia Voght about to teleport them into space or something!?

When the green mist faded and she could see again, Sailor Moon realized that wasn't the case. They had just been transported into another chamber, one with a domed roof and some sort of chair on a platform on the far end, some stairs leading up to it. After looking down at herself to see if she was all there, Sailor Moon then looked around for Mercury and Jupiter. They were right beside her, just as confused, but also standing near them were Tuxedo Kamen, Mars and Venus. Voght had teleported them in here, too?

"Excellent, Amelia," came a voice from that throne. "Now leave us, and do not disturb us."

Sailor Moon looked back up. Standing next to that throne was a redheaded woman in an Acolyte uniform, along with a shorter woman with her arm in a sling. Erina Kizachi! Voght nodded, then dissolved into green mist and disappeared. That throne was draped in shadow, but a figure rose from it, stepping into the light. A figured draped in dark red and a purple cape, his face still in shadow thanks to his helmet.

Silence fell over the six of them, not sure what Magneto's game was. After a few moments, Jupiter spoke up. "What's your angle, Magneto? Why not have Amelia Voght drop us off into space and be done with it?"

"I am not the monster you believe me to be, Sailor Jupiter," said Magneto coolly. He levitated himself down to the foot of the stairs, though it didn't look like his shields were up. "Besides, what would be the point? Just as you know much about me thanks to information shared by my old friend, I know a good deal about all of you, thanks to Erina Kizachi. We are all alike in one respect. We are survivors. It would be foolish of me to believe the Sailor Senshi could be disposed of so easily."

"Well, he's right about one thing," spat Venus, glancing up at Kizachi.

"If it means anything, Sailor Senshi, this is a confrontation I do not wish to have," said Magneto. "Many years ago, five youngsters confronted me as I tried to ensure the prosperity and security of my kind. But as I am all too aware, fate has a cruel way of making history repeat itself."

"Yeah yeah, we've heard all about it, Magneto," snapped Mars. "You survived the Holocaust, and now fear the same thing's about to happen to mutants."

"Am I wrong, Sailor Mars? Can you tell me I am, after suffering such alienation yourself?" Magneto challenged. "All of you Sailor Senshi saw it for yourselves, when you sought to intervene. All it took was a little prodding thanks to Kizachi's machinations, and a repeat of history was underway. Children hauled away on trumped up charges, justified with appeals to national security and pride."

"And you were with Erina Kizachi every step of the way, manipulating events so that your fellow mutants would suffer through that, just to make a point," snarled Tuxedo Kamen.

"A point that had to be made, Tuxedo Kamen. Or do you prefer Prince Endymion?" said Magneto calmly. "All mutants must realize that there is no safe haven, no nation that will not view us and our power with suspicion."

"And over the years, you've fueled that paranoia! Whenever any demagogue wishes to point to an example of the ruthlessness and destructive potential of mutant terrorists, you're always there!" cried Mercury.

"And stop trying to sound so noble, Magneto!" spat Mars. "It wasn't altruism that made you do what you did to Naru! Just because you wanted a powerful mutant like her in the Acolytes, and a figurehead for Japanese mutants willing to forsake humanity, you helped destroy her life! Pushed her over the edge!"

"She already lost her mother and her identity, thanks to you, and you brought her human boyfriend on board an asteroid full of mutants that want to see his kind exterminated!" added Jupiter. "Real nice way to show you have Naru's best interests at heart."

"The Sailor Senshi showed that the future doesn't have to be what you fear, Magneto!" Venus shrieked. "Plenty rose with us, lent us their voices, and even fought beside us! Both in Japan, and around the world! After everything we've done to save this world, we won't let you drag it into a war!"

"So this is it, Magneto!" cried Sailor Moon. "In the name of the Moon..."

"WE'LL PUNISH YOU!" cried all five Inner Senshi in unison.

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The title of this chapter came from a song by Blackmore's Night, 'Make a Princess of Me'. I've been listening to that band a lot during writing sessions. And hey, since the point of this story is how Naru is NOT a Sailor Senshi but has another option, figured it was an appropriate title for the start of her new career.

And the _Dark Phoenix_ trailer hit. That was a thing that happened. Actually, I was getting a little excited for the sendoff to Fox's era of X-Men films after seeing it. Face it, without the original _X-Men_ in 2000, the modern superhero film boom would never have materialized. But nope, now it's been pushed back another four months. Just let us see the damn movie already!

Oh yeah, and if it wasn't obvious already...

Next chapter: _**THE SAILOR SENSHI VS. MAGNETO!**_

'Nuff said.

So long,

Grey-X


	37. The Sailor Senshi vs Magneto!

**Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse**

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 37: The Sailor Senshi vs. Magneto!

10-30-2018

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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Magneto said nothing. He simply stared back at the Sailor Senshi for several moments after they uttered their trademark bravado. Thanks to his helmet, Sailor Mercury couldn't see into his eyes, guess what was going through the Master of Magnetism's head. On top of that, being this close made her visor screwier than ever. Her tech had some shielding against electromagnetic surges, but it was never designed with someone like Magneto in mind. The team always counted on her finding their enemy's weakness, but this time, that could well be impossible.

However, her visor picked up a spike of electromagnetic energy, just as Magneto inclined his head upward a little. Otherwise, it seemed Magneto was taking no action, but Mercury knew better. All the information that had on him, all his battles with the X-Men they studied... He was a cunning, ruthless tactician with a mind perhaps rivaling hers, skilled at hitting his enemies from multiple angles.

"Heads up, team!" cried Mercury. "Magneto's bringing his power to bear... Be ready for anything!"

"Behind us, the floor's plating!" cried Jupiter. "Jupiter Oak Evolution!"

"Jupiter and I have got this!" added Mars. "Burning Mandala!"

Mercury risked a quick glance over her shoulder. Magneto's first move was just what she predicted. He tried to blindside them with a flurry of metal objects from behind. Luckily, Mars and Jupiter's attacks took care of the junk hurled at them. Pipes, metal plating and other objects were blasted away, buying the other Senshi time to strike.

"This one's courtesy of Iceman, Magneto!" Mercury cried. "Shabon Spray Freezing!" Her blast of frigid mist engulfed Magneto. Mercury hoped she acted fast enough, before Magneto had a chance to erect that force bubble. Even if he hadn't, the X-Men's files said extreme cold could amplify his power even more. Fortunately, the others were poised to strike before Magneto could.

"Crescent Beam Shower!" roared Venus.

"Moon Gorgeous Meditation!" shouted Sailor Moon.

They unleashed their attacks into that cloud of mist, but not before Magneto levitated himself above it. A few of Venus's shots angled upward, and one struck Magneto, disorienting him for a moment. Tuxedo Kamen used that opening, leaping up towards him.

"Now, Magneto, you pay for tormenting a mutant maiden so!" snarled Tuxedo Kamen, grappling him in midair. Given how his cane was mostly wood, Magneto couldn't affect it. Tuxedo Kamen drove it into his gut, then smacked Magneto upside the head with it. Unfortunately, that helmet proved quite resilient, Magneto rolled with the blow, and his costume was some sort of compound body armor.

Worse, even when someone got up close and personal, Magneto proved far from helpless. Possessing some training in close-quarters fighting, he wormed out of Tuxedo Kamen's hold, then held fast to him in midair.

Then, in an eyeblink, small bits of metal plating flew to Magneto, wrapping around his free hand. "Brave, honorable... It's easy to see why Sailor Moon is so fond of you," said Magneto, right before driving a metal-covered fist into Tuxedo Kamen's face. "A shame, though, how such overconfidence is unbecoming of a would-be king."

Another blow to the face, this time accompanied by an electromagnetic surge. Tuxedo Kamen writhed, blood pouring down his face. As Magneto was about to strike again, Sailor Moon screamed, "Moon Tiara Action!"

Magneto dropped Tuxedo Kamen as he turned to the blazing disc curving around to strike him. As Jupiter leaped to catch Tuxedo Kamen, Magneto erected his barrier just in time. The tiara drove forward, reflecting Sailor Moon's determination. Perhaps it was wishful thinking, but to Mercury, Magneto's body language suddenly betrayed worry.

Regardless, they had another opening. They had to strike before Magneto could hurl more junk at them. "Mars, Venus, come on! Let's lend Sailor Moon a hand!" Mercury shouted. Hopefully Jupiter would take a hint and not attack. Under most circumstances, her attacks would hardly affect Magneto. Or strengthen him if he saw Jupiter coming, soaking up the energy. Like Tuxedo Kamen, Jupiter would have to wait patiently for the right time to strike.

"You got it, Mercury! Crescent Beam!" shouted Venus, aiming to punch her laser blast right through that magnetic bubble.

"Fire Soul!" bellowed Mars. In an instant, that bubble was nearly smothered in roaring flames.

"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" cried Mercury, sending out piledriving tendrils of icy water from her harp.

"Mamoru, how bad are you hurt?" Jupiter asked over the din of the other Senshi's attacks.

Tuxedo Kamen wiped away blood dribbling down his nose and mouth. "I'll survive," he grumbled. "Pride hurt worse than my body, and all that..."

While Jupiter saw to Tuxedo Kamen, the four of them kept up the pressure, their attacks slamming his shields, not giving Magneto a moment's breath. For the moment, it seemed it was all Magneto could do to keep their attacks from overwhelming him. It was a hopeful sign, but still, it worried Mercury. This was the man who could not only beat back the X-Men, but just about all their superhero allies back West. Surely it couldn't be this easy to keep Magneto at bay.

"Come on, all of us pouring it on has to break through his shields! It has to!" spat Venus.

Mercury wasn't so sure, and her fears soon proved prescient. Her visor picked up another EM spike, making Mercury gasp. "Everyone, don't be fooled! Magneto's getting ready to attack again!" she cried out.

Her warning came just in time. More metal plating ripped from the walls and floors, along with chunks of the asteroid itself, flew at them from behind. Sailor Moon had to divert her tiara to slice apart plating flung over at Jupiter and Tuxedo Kamen. The floor itself seemed to erupt under Venus and Mars's feet, and only some shots from Mercury's harp saved them from getting clobbered by chunks of ruck flung at them.

The pressure was off Magneto. Seeking to regain the momentum, Tuxedo Kamen and Jupiter both leapt up at him, only to be blasted back down by bursts of electromagnetic force. The other Senshi had to deflect the remainder of Magneto's junk with their attacks, but Mercury stole quick glances up at him. He looked a little winded, perhaps not expecting their combined attacks to tax his defenses so much, for all the good it did them. Magneto could obviously hold them at bay easily.

"Perhaps it was foolish to let you Sailor Senshi face me as a team, out of respect," Magneto remarked as he loosed more metal plating and rock chunks to fling at them. "However, it was equally foolish to challenge me here, where I can use my powers to their fullest. And Erina, dear, though I imagine you're quite interested in seeing how this plays out, I must insist you wait this out elsewhere."

After ducking aside to avoid another asteroid chunk, Mercury caught a glimpse of some scraps of metal pinning Erina Kizachi to Magneto's throne. Then the throne slid back into the wall behind it, which opened up and then closed, removing Kizachi from the line of fire.

If Magneto still considered Kizachi an asset and didn't want her harmed, this was bad news. All their previous tussles with Magneto were simply him taking their measure. Now, Mercury realized, he was about to let loose.

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Umino tried to put on a brave front, but in truth, numbing fear was finally creeping up on him. Oh, like many other boys, how often he dreamed of taking up arms and being a hero, just like in manga. Now he had done just that, and all he wanted was to get off this rock with Naru. But he knew he couldn't. Not until they purged Asteroid M's computers. Even if the other Senshi succeeded in beating Magneto down, his followers could make off with that data and build more of those Sentinels.

' _Careful what you wish for'. Truer words were never spoken,_ Umino grumbled inwardly, happy to let Sailor Uranus and Naru take point. _I was happy before, being the man behind the woman. Hopefully after this, it can be that way again._

It had taken some time, but Umino finally opened those blasts doors. Given such security measures, they had to be near the asteroid's computer core. Sailor Neptune strode beside him, a picturesque image of stoic beauty, while Sailor Chibi-Moon and Lockheed covered the rear. This also suited Umino just fine, not being in a particularly vulnerable spot. He hated himself for such seeming cowardice, but couldn't help it.

"Umino, the fighting may soon start again," said Neptune suddenly. "Given your limited experience with guns, it may be best to take cover when it breaks out, rather than join in."

Umino stared up at Neptune, face flushing. "That's... probably a good idea," he admitted. "Still, I'd feel like a coward. We goth the X-Men and the rest of the Senshi fighting elsewhere, and this job is just as important, so..."

"Hold for a moment," said Uranus suddenly, raising a fist. The entire group stopped running.

"What is it, Uranus?" asked Naru. "Sensing something in this stale, recycled air?"

"Oh, the winds definitely carry something now," said Uranus. "It's like the wind is... charged with a power, tainted in darkness."

"Don't look at me," grumbled Naru defensively.

"No one was accusing you of anything, Naru," said Neptune. "At any rate, I think we can guess what it is Uranus now senses."

Umino gulped. "You mean... Magneto's at it? Unleashing his power?" Years of hearing such terrifying stories of the Master of Magnetism made it hard not to shudder. Having a mutant girlfriend didn't shield you from such deeply ingrained fear.

"Then someone has to go help whoever's reached him," said Naru. "Magneto's no pushover in a fight. I speak from experience."

"Still, like you and Umino pointed out, it's equally important to take out the computer core," said Neptune. "And with any luck, so many forces are being diverted now that Magneto has come under attack, security around it will be light."

"In all likelihood, the princess is among those now tackling Magneto head-on," said Uranus. "I can feel it in my heart, how much trouble she's in. But we must put our trust in Sailor Moon, that she can hold out until help arrives. You do trust her again, don't you?"

Umino could see Naru bristle at the not-so-subtle accusation. Thankfully, she mostly let it slide. She glared up at Uranus, but nodded, and the six of them resumed their trek.

"Besides, Naru," Neptune added, "I'm sure actual X-Men have to make tough decisions, knowing when _NOT_ to go after Magneto and the like."

"Like you and Uranus can talk," jeered Chibi-Moon. Neptune just groaned.

"The point is, just because you've got that uniform on now, it doesn't mean you've got to pulp the face of every one of their enemies. Priorities," said Uranus. "I'm sure Xavier himself would tell you there's more to being an X-Man than that."

"Naru, an X-Man after all..." Chibi-Moon said in a sing-song voice. "Y'know, I can't believe I didn't notice this until now. There's girls in that outfit, yet the group is called the X- _ **MEN**_!?"

Naru bristled again. Did that uniform get to her head already? "Well, that is kind of weird. But there's been other groups with gender-neutral names," Naru pointed out. "Cable led X-Force, Kitty was part of Excalibur... And it's not like the Sailor Senshi are free of sexism. The whole thing about only women being able to be Senshi, because they have to protect those they love?"

Umino had to admit Naru had a good point, but wasn't going to add anything. Not with Uranus and Neptune right there. Though hearing that did bolster Umino's resolve a little. He held his rifle a little more firmly. He couldn't do much, especially against some of the more powerful mutants still lurking about, but he would have Naru's back, no matter what.

There was another blast door ahead, which looked even tougher than the last one. Umino got to work rigging the wires. Luckily, it proved a simpler task this time. The moment the huge doors slid open, Uranus, Neptune and Naru rushed inside, Lockheed swooping in after them. The sound of utter chaos swiftly followed in their wake.

"Hey, wait for us!" Chibi-Moon protested, running in after them. Umino smirked uneasily. Chibi-Moon had said 'us'. This Senshi actually considered him part of their fighting force. Granted, this was basically the kid sidekick of the Sailor Senshi, but still...

Umino followed her inside, rifle at the ready. As fate would have it, they weren't really needed. This part of the asteroid was essentially one big vertical, cylindrical chamber, with several rings of platforms circling around it. As Neptune and Uranus leaped up to a higher level after cleaning house on the one they stepped out onto, Lockheed took it upon himself to fly up and belch flames at those occupying the higher levels.

At first, Umino couldn't see Naru. Then, he caught a flash of billowing, black flame. She caught someone off-guard, whipping a tendril to knock him out cold, then teleported away as suddenly as she had appeared. She darted around the mammoth chamber this way, taking out the people working in this area before they realized she was there. Uranus and Neptune drawing everyone's attention certainly helped too. Whatever mutant powers they had, they had no chance to use them. In less than two minutes, the six of them were the only ones left standing. Or, in Lockheed's case, flying.

"Hmph, Outer Senshi always hogging the fun for themselves," grumbled Chibi-Moon. Umino certainly didn't mind the field being cleared like this. These people might not have even been Acolytes, just mutants who took these jobs to escape persecution on Earth. Umino wouldn't have wanted to hurt them. "At least it looks like we found what we're looking for." Chibi-Moon pointed up, toward the center of the chamber. Indeed, on a platform suspended in the middle, there looked to be a host of computer consoles, and the structures directly underneath could certainly be massive data storage banks. "Even I could smash up those computers, but I'll hazard a guess it wouldn't be that easy."

Umino shook his head. "Even if this is the place, there's a good chance there's backup data somewhere. I'll need to get up there and start fiddling around with Magneto's computers."

"Then we'd better get you started, Umino." Naru peeked out from over the platform with the consoles, then sent out a tendril.

It gently wrapped around Umino and Chibi-Moon, hoisting them up. Once Naru set them down, Uranus and Neptune jumped down to their level. "And I'd advise being quick about it, Umino," said Uranus. "With the Inner Senshi and X-Men drawing attention elsewhere, we have breathing room, but best not to dawdle."

Umino was about to snap back at the insinuation he'd waste time while stuck on this deathtrap, but let it slide. After all, these people were the ones with superpowers, but were putting their faith in him right then. So what if only girls could be Sailor Senshi? At the moment, they needed him. Cracking his knuckles as he walked over to the biggest console, he said, "OK then, time to make Magneto's little birdie sing..."

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Sailor Jupiter shrieked as Magneto let out another wave of electromagnetic energy. Given her own mastery over the thunder, she could sense the totality of his power better than the others. This latest onslaught eclipsed all the others by far. It was so intense, it made the floor beneath them crumble.

The other Senshi shrieked as well, but didn't let up. As the floor broke apart, they jumped from falling piece to falling piece, doing whatever they could to whittle down Magneto's shields. Shine Aqua Illusion, Venus Love-and-Beauty Shock and Mars Flame Sniper all smashed into Magneto's barrier, but it held. From what Jupiter could see as she was falling, Magneto was starting to look a little winded. But with her antenna out, she could sense how much fight Magneto had left in him, and he had plenty.

 _What's it going to take to wear him down!?_ Jupiter wondered, frustration bubbling up as her feet touched a falling chunk from the floor above. She sprang off it, then fell several meters, rolling to a stop along the floor below. _Worse, because of how electricity and magnetism are so related, Mercury said I can't wail in him whenever I want._

Sailor Moon's stifled crying snapped Jupiter out of it. Looking ahead, she saw Sailor Moon slowly rising, hunched over and clutching her butt. "Ow ow ow ow ow, still can't quite stick the landing..."

"Get up, Sailor Moon! He'll be on top of us any second!" chided Jupiter, running over to her. "Seriously, the original X-Men were hardly any older than us, and not as powerful back then. How the _HELL_ did they trounce this guy!?"

"They outlasted and outfoxed him," said Sailor Moon, taking an offered hand for help up. "C'mon, Mercury told you what you gotta do. When you see your shot, take it!"

Sailor Moon's eyes widened, and Jupiter glanced over her shoulder. Magneto was levitating himself down, electricity crackling over that magnetic bubble. Jupiter spared a quick glance around their new surroundings. It was darker and rockier than the dome above, and even a bit more spacious. There was a huge window at one end, letting in some light from the stars and the moon. At the other end, another glass barrier, beyond which Jupiter could glimpse an expanse of towering machinery, power arcing all over those, too.

Though they had more room to move about here, with all the debris that rained down, Magneto had more ammunition with which to box them in. Sailor Moon charged, heedless of that, hoping to press on now that Magneto showed some signs of fatigue. "Moon Gorgeous Meditation!" she roared, aiming her kaleidoscope.

As expected, Magneto's shields still held, but Jupiter caught a glimpse of him gritting his teeth. Sailor Moon's attacks could hammer his shields hard. Unfortunately, she couldn't keep him from using his magnetic powers in other ways. Chunks of rock, pipes and mangled metal plating were all flung Sailor Moon's way.

Sailor Moon shrieked, but Jupiter was on top of it. "Not so fast, Magneto! Supreme Thunder!" she cried. A continuous bolt of lightning fired from her antenna, blasting away all that junk. As she twisted around to knock away yet more, Jupiter saw Tuxedo Kamen leap to smash apart a rock chunk heading Sailor Moon's way with his cane, then he tossed a rose to shatter another. _Tuxedo Kamen and I might not be much use against you directly, Magneto, but we can keep you from hurting anyone else!_

Before Magneto could send another wave of magnetized junk their way, a thick, icy fog spread across the chamber. Soon, Jupiter could hardly see Magneto, but still sensed his presence with her antenna.

"That won't work, Sailor Mercury!" Magneto called out. "I don't need to see you to get a fix on your positions. Your power is too great for me not to sense along lines of electromagnetic force."

"Sense _THIS_ , Lehnsherr!" spat Mars from somewhere. "Fire Soul Bird!"

Some of the fog faded as the huge, flaming, bird of prey swooped in to claw and peck at Magneto's shields, all while Sailor Moon refused to let up. Magneto seemed flustered before, but he was getting quite aggravated now, as if realizing he bit off more than he could chew. Jupiter smirked as she worked on deflecting what junk Magneto could still hurl around, and smiled broadly when Venus Love-and-Beauty Shock smacked into those shields again, taxing them even further.

But just as Jupiter let herself hope they'd overpower the Master of Magnetism, he cruelly spat on those hopes. No longer content to let magnetized junk do his dirty work, Magneto swooped down.

He hadn't been bluffing about being able to single them out. Jupiter had lost sight of Mercury in her fog, but Magneto picked her out easily, blasting her out from cover with a burst of electromagnetic force. Mercury screamed as she skipped along the floor, then Magneto turned and darted for another Senshi. Mars, also obscured by the fog, had to backflip away to avoid having that shield slam into her. Seeing his opening, a huge pipe slammed into Mars from behind, and the fiery bird tailing him vanished.

Now that he was a moving target, Sailor Moon lowered her kaleidoscope, her free hand going for her tiara. "Moon Tiara Action!" she cried, throwing it Magneto's way. Magneto wrenched a huge mechanical fixture free from the wall to deflect it, then used the sliced-up pieces to knock Venus out from behind cover while blasting Sailor Moon back with an electromagnetic discharge. More electromagnetic blasts also kept Jupiter and Tuxedo Kamen at bay.

"Such magnificent teamwork, much like the X-Men themselves," said Magneto as he gestured. Metal bands snaked out from nowhere, ensnaring Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon wailed and struggled as Magneto levitated her up to him. "From what Erina Kizachi revealed to me after observing you for over a year, I expected no less. But my old friend must have clued you in, as to how I'm quite unlike any of your old enemies."

"We've eaten monsters aiming to devour the world for breakfast!" spat Sailor Moon, still writhing in Magneto's bindings. "We don't give up, Magneto! We'll beat you, too!"

"Must you lump me with Queen Beryl and the rest?" Magneto protested, actually sounding a little hurt. "I have no desire to destroy this world, or conquer it for the sake of conquering it. You must understand that by now. We're actually a lot alike, Tsukino. You're destined to reign over Earth as a queen, seeking to create a paradise, are you not? Can you fault me for wanting the same, for the safety of my kind?"

Jupiter could only watch, feeling more useless than ever. That telltale flicker told Jupiter that Magneto's shields were still up. He wasn't getting _TOO_ overconfident, now that he pretty much swatted down all the Sailor Senshi. Still, his attention was elsewhere.

Jupiter had intended to wait for Mercury to say when the time was right. But Sailor Moon was in trouble, and none of the other Senshi were in any shape to act. Muttering a silent prayer, hoping Magneto wouldn't immediately sense her power building, Jupiter shouted, "Supreme Thunder Dragon!"

Magneto turned just as Jupiter's dragon clamped its jaws over that bubble shield. He flung Sailor Moon away, slamming her up against a far wall. Several metal support beams followed, effectively entombing Sailor Moon as they embedded themselves in the rocky wall.

At first, Jupiter feared her gambit wouldn't pay off. If Magneto could do that, he could handle this attack. Yet through the blinding glare, Jupiter could see Magneto grimace more angrily than before. _It just might be working,_ Jupiter thought. _Sailor Mercury said a sudden onslaught of electrical energy when he wasn't expecting it would throw things out of whack for Magneto. And maybe, just maybe..._

Magneto howled in frustration and agony, just as the dragon vanished. But as he dropped to the ground, Jupiter could see his shields fall apart. That had their opening!

And Tuxedo Kamen was ready to seize it. "The gentle, noble Sailor Moon is _NOTHING_ like you, Magneto!" Tuxedo Kamen bellowed as he flung a rose, spinning, at Magneto. It struck his helmet, and Magneto howled again. Jupiter could see a crack running down the helmet's side. Tuxedo Kamen hurled more roses. The stems of some sank into his armor, though they couldn't penetrate too deeply, while two more hit Magneto's helmet, and it shattered to pieces.

"YES!" cried Jupiter. "Once Professor X is done with Exodus, he can get in here and shut his mind down!" Of course, the helmet was only part of Magneto's defense against telepathy, if Jupiter remembered right. His strong will did the rest, a will supposedly as strong as any of theirs...

"Why wait for him!?" scoffed Venus. "We've got him on the ropes now! Make him pay for what he just did to Sailor Moon, and to Naru all these months! Venus Love-and-Beauty Shock!"

"Mars Flame Sniper!" cried Mars, joining in.

Their attacks struck in unison, blasting Magneto across the chamber, screaming. But just before they hit, Jupiter felt a tingle through her antenna. Magneto had used his powers a split-second before taking those hits. Did his defenses go back up? "Don't celebrate yet, you two," Jupiter warned. "There's a reason this guy always gives the X-Men the fight of their lives."

When she reached him, Jupiter was dismayed to see her hunch was quite correct. Magneto was picking himself off the wall. Part of Magneto's armor along his chest was blasted away, and he sported some burns over his face and chest. He was hunched over, winded, but far from beaten. He was fully alert, and spotted her coming his way.

With no time to fire off an attack that just might rejuvenate him, Jupiter kept charging, opting to land a punch in his gut instead. She followed up with a spinning kick to his face. Magneto went down, and Jupiter reached down to grab part of that ruined armor, pulling him back up. She gazed angrily at Magneto's burned, bloodied face. "No more electromagnetism from either of us. Only fists," spat Jupiter, and threw another punch.

But just before her fist connected, something wrapped around Jupiter's wrist. "Oh no! NO!" Jupiter cried, turning to see some cable had sprung up to restrain her. More followed, wrapping themselves around her like serpents, then pinning her against the wall her friends' attacks slammed him against. _Damnit, I was so close to ending this!_

Jupiter could only watch helplessly as Magneto began his counterattack. Tuxedo Kamen was closing in, more roses at the ready, but Magneto blindsided him with more junk. Metal beams then pinned him against the wall, not too far from Jupiter.

Blasts of electromagnetic force lashed out at Mars, Venus and Mercury, keeping them at bay. Even when one of them could get off an attack, they couldn't penetrate Magneto's newly-erected shields. One by one, Magneto managed to snatch them up with metal beams that subsequently pinned them to a wall, all of them a good distance away from Jupiter and Tuxedo Kamen. Still, they could hear cries of pain as Magneto conducted electromagnetic surges through the objects pinning them, rendering them unconscious.

"Damnit Magneto!" spat Jupiter. "How are you still going after all this time!? What _DOES_ it take to put a creep like you down!?"

Magneto slowly turned to her and Tuxedo Kamen. There was anger in his eyes. Unsurprising, consider how Mars made a point of mentioning the deep bitterness and grief the man refused to let go of. Yet there was sadness and regret in those eyes as well. And considering how old Magneto was supposed to be... To live with such anger that long? A bit of pity mixed with Jupiter's loathing for him.

"I'll confess, Sailor Jupiter. You Sailor Senshi had the collective power to do it." As Jupiter stared back in anger and shock, Magneto went on. "I've just been at this much longer than you, factoring in any past lives of you Senshi notwithstanding. Another thing... While you're much like my old friend, wanting to believe the best in people, I've seen them at their worst. You're the dreamers, I'm the realist. I guess that gave me an edge too, and..."

Magneto's eyes widened suddenly. He turned to gaze at something at the far end of the chamber. Jupiter followed his gaze, seeing where he had trapped Sailor Moon in metal. A fierce light was peeping out through gaps in her metal prison. Jupiter looked over to Tuxedo Kamen, both hopeful and dreading that this meant what she thought it did. That horrified look on his face told her everything.

The metal bindings were blasted apart, and the whole chamber was flooded with light for a moment, along with a furious cry from Sailor Moon. When it died down some, Jupiter saw that it wasn't just Sailor Moon anymore. Rather, it was Princess Serenity, clutching the Ginzuishou in one hand as she fixed Magneto with a steely gaze. "Uh-oh," muttered Jupiter. "I'm actually starting to feel a little sorry for Magneto now..."

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Umino could feel Sailor Uranus's impatient glare on his back as he typed away. It certainly wasn't helping his concentration any. Just like Erina Kizachi, Magneto had his own programming language made especially for his computers. Though it wasn't the most novel code Umino had ever seen, it had subtleties all its own that would take time to suss out. But as Uranus kept reminding him, time wasn't exactly on their side.

"Haven't you got this thing figured out yet!?" spat Uranus. "The sooner we're done here, the sooner we can give the Inner Senshi some backup."

"Cut Umino a break," said Naru dangerously. "The security for Magneto's systems is no joke, I'll bet. He's been building computers longer than any of us have been alive."

"Well, there's the whole thing with Senshi being reincarnated, don't forget," said Neptune airily, hoping to diffuse the tension. Apparently, there was still some lingering bad blood. Umino could only imagine Uranus and Naru glaring at each other, as he was absorbed in his work. He was finally making headway, getting past the firewalls. Supposedly, Sailor Mercury could do this in a fraction of the time with her computer, but since she was tackling Magneto head-on, it was up to him.

"I... think I'm getting somewhere," said Umino nervously, hoping to placate Uranus. "Yeah, I'm past some of the security, but one wrong move could lock me out for good."

"Then do your best to think how Magneto would think," suggested Neptune. "Like Naru said, he designed this code and operating system. Learning to think like your enemy is the key."

Umino wiped some beads of sweat from his brow. Try to get inside the head of a genocidal maniac that wanted to see people like him wiped out? Sure, no problem.

As Umino kept at it, he swore he felt the whole chamber tremble for a moment. He thought nothing of it, but then he sensed worse vibes from Uranus than usual. Finally tearing his eyes from the screen, he looked to the Outer Senshi. Both of them looked more anxious than ever. "What's with you two?" he demanded. "We're on a giant rock floating in space. I'm sure it gets bumpy once in a while."

"It wasn't just anything that caused that tremor," said Chibi-Moon. "I can sense it too... Sailor Moon is using the Ginzuishou."

Naru's eyes widened. "Wait a minute... Doesn't that leech away her life energy if she uses it too much, for too long!?"

Uranus nodded. "Which means their battle against Magneto has taken a desperate turn. And we _MUST_ get over there, now!"

"I'm getting closer, don't worry!" Umino snapped, turning back to the screen. Indeed, he was so tantalizingly close to his goal, he could taste the data on those Sentinels at his fingertips. But there was still some security to slip past, and one wrong move... _OK, we do it Neptune's way, think like Magneto. Just what would one of the most powerful mutants ever fear, then?_

Umino thought back to everything Usagi and the X-Men told him about the guy. A Holocaust survivor, utterly convinced that mutants would suffer the same fate if he didn't act. Tight defenses, isolating himself, much like he did on this asteroid. Yet the Sailor Senshi still slipped through thanks to their Sailor Teleport...

 _That's it. Forget breaking into the databanks with brute force,_ Umino realized. _Just whip up a virus and slip it in, let it purge these memory banks of ANYTHING that has to do with Sentinels! But I'll need a little more time for that..._

"Ladies, I've got to try something else," said Umino. "It'll take a little longer, but it's got a better shot at actually working." He was already deep into coding his virus well before he finished that last sentence. Uranus's glare drilled into his backside anew, but Umino ignored her completely. The virus was coming along nicely, and he was close to making an opening to slip it in.

The minutes ticked by, and Umino could sense how restless Naru, Lockheed and the Senshi were getting. He shared their restlessness, but he was almost done.

Umino was so engrossed in his task, he didn't notice the new arrivals until Neptune screamed. Glancing over his shoulder, Umino saw Unuscione engulf Neptune in that psionic exoskeleton. Uranus rushed in, sword reared back, then landed a hit with Space Sword Blaster at point-blank range. Unuscione's exoskeleton absorbed the hit, but the sheer ferocity stunned her, knocking her back. Uranus kept going, shoulder-charging Unuscione through her exoskeleton. All three of them toppled over the railing. Before they disappeared from view, Uranus's glare said it all: DO NOT STOP.

Gulping, Umino turned back to the screen, determined to get that virus in. Still, his determination waned a little upon hearing Naru's cry of pain. Umino looked away to see Frenzy was out for his blood again, aiming to power through Naru to reach him.

"That's it, flatscan. Lord Magneto's orders are pretty much rescinded now that you've got your filthy paws on his stuff!" Frenzy sneered. She knocked aside Naru and charged. All Umino could do was scream, fear rooting his feet to the floor.

"Not so fast, Dreadlocks!" spat Naru, wrapping her oily tendrils around Frenzy. She yanked Frenzy back toward her, but Frenzy elbowed her hard in the neck. Thanks to Frenzy's mometum, both wound up smashing through the guard rails, also tumbling down to the lower levels.

Umino stared at where they had gone over for a moment, worried sick for Naru. But she was tough enough for a slugfest with Frenzy. He turned back to the computer. The virus was more or less ready. All that was left was to find a back door in and let it do its job.

Of course, with only Chibi-Moon and Lockheed to watch his back, he was getting even more anxious. Then he heard a gunshot of some sort, and something thudding onto the platform, followed by a cry of "NO!" from Chibi-Moon. Umino turned to see Chibi-Moon jump in front of him, taking a shot for him. She crumpled and rolled along the floor, electricity arcing over her body.

"Wait, what kind of weapon... Oh great," Umino muttered. Looking up, he saw Fabian Cortez there, leering at him, brandishing a weird shotgun like his, which was too far away to grab. Umino gulped again. If a shot from that could knock Naru or a Sailor Senshi out cold, he didn't want to think about what it could do to him.

Still, a few more keystrokes, and the virus was in. He would _NOT_ let any more of those Sentinels be built. Heedless of what Cortez would do, he turned back and began punching in the final commands.

"As Frenzy so eloquently stated... Hands off our lord's stuff, flatscan!" He must have thought wasting a shot on a lowly human wasn't worth it, as Cortez charged forward and threw him away from the console. But it was too late. His virus was in, and Umino doubted Cortez had the know-how to do anything in time.

He crawled over to Chibi-Moon, who was still conscious, though groggy. "Chibi-Moon, c'mon, get up! You can take this Cortez guy! Get up!"

"Can she now, flatscan?" Cortez sneered. "Hmmm, it appears you've slipped something rather nasty into the computer core, but primary systems seem unaffected, and... Oh, what's this?"

Chibi-Moon was slowly getting back on her feet, but Cortez paid her no mind. He was far more engrossed in whatever he just brought up on the screen. "Umino, what's he doing? Your virus, is it in?"

"Yeah, so no more Sentinels," whispered Umino. "Something else has his attention, though."

"We should be flattered, Sailor Chibi-Moon. Our lord has forced your 'mother' to activate this Ginzuishou of hers," said Cortez, not sounding particularly worried. Chibi-Moon glowered at him, reaching for her Crystal Carillon. Cortez aimed his shotgun with one hand, not even bothering to look at them. "It is said that that stone possesses unlimited power, does it not? Then Lord Magneto may be in quite the predicament. That is, if I don't find something to divert Tsukino's attention..."

Cortez punched something into the console, and Umino felt the whole asteroid lurch. Way more forcefully than when Usagi brought out her biggest gun.

"What did you just do!?" Chibi-Moon demanded.

Cortez smirked at them. "Let's just say that if Sailor Moon doesn't divert some of that power to keep Asteroid M's orbit from decaying, she may have to scratch off Paris as a possible honeymoon spot with her would-be king."

It took a moment for Umino to process all that. He knew the Acolytes were maniacs, but this, this couldn't be happening!

"Y-Y-You set this thing to drop on _FRANCE_!?" Umino cried, horrified and sick to his stomach. "You'll wipe out plenty of your own kind if that happens!"

"It's a good thing, then, that Sailor Moon is so big-hearted, she'll opt to keep Asteroid M in orbit rather than blow away Lord Magneto," Cortez said smugly. "Why, thanks to my quick-thinking, I'm sure he'll reward me with..."

"Pink Sugar Heart Attack!" cried Chibi-Moon, beating Cortez to the draw. He was forced to roll aside to avoid the flurry of hearts. When he brought up his shotgun, Chibi-Moon leaped at him. Umino used that opening to rush back to the console, only to find Cortez had locked him out. He slammed his fists on the keys in frustration, then began typing away anyway. He _HAD_ to find some way to restore Asteroid M's orbit himself! Otherwise, like Cortez said, Sailor Moon would do it herself, even if it meant losing her fight with Magneto.

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Even with Cable, Luna and Artemis all lending their assistance, it was still too difficult to maintain a telepathic connection with the other X-Men. Indeed, it took a great deal of effort for Xavier to bring his powers to bear on Exodus himself. At best, all he could do was shield the other X-Men from Exodus's own mental powers. Xavier could only hope the Sailor Senshi were having better luck with Magneto. Exodus knew he was the only thing keeping the X-Men from rushing to their side. No doubt that extra motivation spurred the Acolytes' leader to fight harder than ever.

More of Exodus's concussive blasts impacted Cable's telekinetic shields. Hampered though his abilities were, Xavier could sense Cable's fatigue. Then Xavier felt a jolt that had nothing to do with Exodus's assault. Some instinct told Xavier that something was very wrong.

A flash of dread from Luna told Xavier he wasn't alone in that regard. Granted, she had plenty to dread, as she kept reminding him. "Professor X, we can't dither here any more!" cried the mooncat on his shoulder. "Usagi's now drawing from the Ginzuishou, but it also draws from her. The longer she uses it, the greater the chance she'll burn herself out!"

"I'm all too aware of that, Luna," said Xavier with a calm he didn't quite feel. "But there's nothing we can do until Exodus is dealt with."

And the Acolyte was still proving infuriatingly resilient, as always. He swooped closer, readying another volley of concussive blasts. Rogue and Iceman tried to flank him, but one blast incinerated the latter's ice slide, along with part of his leg. Iceman could regenerate that quickly enough, if the rest of the X-Men could cover him. Rogue, meanwhile, powered through Exodus's onslaught, delivering a crushing blow right to his face. Yet Exodus could still deliver an incendiary blast that had Rogue screaming, and she tumbled to the floor of the chamber.

"Paris baby, someone who's lived this long oughta know how _NOT_ to treat a lady," came Gambit's voice all of a sudden. His charged cards detonated against Exodus, one after another, making him grunt in frustration.

Xavier quickly extended his powers to protect Gambit's mind, and soon touched the minds of other X-Men rushing to regroup. Gambit used his staff to pole vault up to Exodus, delivering a charged-up staff strike to his face. Not giving Exodus a moment's rest, Beast bounded up out of nowhere while he was stunned, drop kicking him.

Encouraged, Cable charged ahead, letting Exodus have it with both his heavy weapons and telekinetic blasts. Meanwhile, Xavier sensed another X-Man very close by. Xavier turned to see Shadowcat rising from the floor. "Sorry we took our sweet time getting here," said Shadowcat. "The Sailor Senshi... Where are they?"

"The Inner Senshi went on ahead, to deal with Magneto. We've been keeping Exodus occupied. Or rather, Exodus is keeping us from rushing to their aid," said Xavier.

"They can hold out a little longer, Professor. They'll have to," said Shadowcat reassuringly. "In the meantime, I think the rest of our outfit is set to arrive..."

While Exodus tried to blast Gambit and Cable, another bounding attack from Beast knocked the Acolyte closer to the ground. That was when Colossus burst through a wall to leap up and land a haymaker on Exodus's face, finally knocking him to the floor. Exodus flung Colossus away with concussive force. Shadowcat had to phase Xavier and the cats for a moment, letting Colossus sail through them.

Still, Exodus was distracted long enough for Wolverine to leap from behind cover. He tackled Exodus back to the ground, then sank a set of claws into his heart. "Storm, _NOW!_ " cried Wolverine, holding up his other set of claws. A bolt of lightning struck them, and the power was conducted through Wolverine's adamantium skeleton, wreaking havoc on Exodus's body from the inside.

It was doubtful even this would put Exodus down for the count. Still, his mental defenses were weakened considerably. Feeling Luna and Artemis's dread again, Xavier glowered at Exodus, just picking himself up after blasting Wolverine away.

"Luna, Artemis, now's the time. Lend me everything you can," Xavier told the mooncats. Xavier let Luna and Artemis touch his mind again, and he brought all the telepathic force they could muster down onto Exodus. Stunned and weakened as he was, he finally managed to touch Exodus's mind. Exodus writhed and screamed, but Xavier could already feel him forcing the three of them out.

"Good kitties," said Shadowcat. "Help the professor hold Exodus just a little longer." Before Xavier could ask what she was getting at, Shadowcat dashed forward. Just as Exodus stood back up, Shadowcat thrust her hand right into his head. Judging from the anguished look of horror on Exodus's face, she must have partially unphased her hand. But could even that stop Exodus? "Cable, take both of us over to that window! It'll take Exodus even longer to pull himself together if he's floating in space."

It was a deliberately brutal stratagem for keeping Exodus out of their hair, but Xavier saw no other options. He nodded to Cable, and he telekinetically levitated the both of them over to the huge window at the chamber's far end, Shadowcat's hand still lodged in Exodus's head. Exodus was phased right through the window, and then Shadowcat let him go. Xavier watched with mixed feelings as Exodus floated off in space, a pained expression still etched on his face.

" _THIS_ is the girl Makoto insists on maintaining a rivalry with?" asked Artemis, incredulous.

"Says the cat always picking fights with her dragon," Luna remarked slyly.

"If our past encounters with Exodus are any indication, Artemis, he may recover sooner than we're counting on," said Storm, touching down beside Xavier. "It's best we get to the Sailor Senshi and render any assistance we can."

"Some of us, anyway," croaked Wolverine. "Ugh, there's a good reason we don't do that stunt often, Ororo..."

Xavier looked his team over. Wolverine was having a hard time standing, and Rogue had just picked herself up, not in the best shape either. Iceman had finished reconstituting his leg, but still looked winded and drained. Just about all of the X-Men were showing signs of strain from fighting their way through Asteroid M. Still, Xavier was confident they could turn the tide for the Sailor Senshi. He couldn't risk shutting down Magneto's mind again, but he refused to let them fight his old friend alone.

Luna echoed these thoughts. "Now that we won't have to worry about Exodus for a while, can we _PLEASE_ go find Sailor Moon, and..." The asteroid suddenly lurched violently, making some of the X-Men lose their footing. Luna tumbled off Xavier's shoulder with an annoyed growl.

"What's shakin', besides this asteroid?" asked Gambit. "Does this mean Sailor Moon just busted out her big gun?"

"She did that some time ago," said Artemis. "This must mean her fight with Magneto is still escalating. For Serenity's sake, Exodus was bad enough! Just what is Magneto made of!?"

"Bro, we could tell you stories..." grumbled Iceman.

"I don't think this is simply due to the Ginzuishou," said Cable. He was staring intently at the window, and at Earth beyond. Exodus was nowhere to be seen, but something else had caught Cable's attention. "Oh lovely. According to the data my bionic eye's collected, Asteroid M's orbit is deteriorating, and fast."

"Is Sailor Moon's battle with Magneto causing this?" asked Colossus.

Beast squinted at the window, the shook his head. Xavier could see it too, the telltale signs of the heat from reentry. "The Ginzuishou's power eating away at Asteroid M's structural integrity cannot account for such a rapid rate of its orbit's deterioration," said Beast. "I would surmise this was done deliberately."

"Who'd be nuts enough for that, even among the Acolytes?" asked Rogue.

Xavier sensed Luna's horror a second before she spoke. "One of them got wind of Sailor Moon using the Ginzuishou against Magneto! They must figure Sailor Moon can be goaded to divert some power to keep Asteroid M from smashing into Earth, to give Magneto a fighting chance!"

"And they're probably right about what she'll do," said Shadowcat. Xavier could only keep gazing out at Earth, now noticeably closer, fearing they might be too late to help Sailor Moon after all.

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Sailor Moon poured more of her will, her very self into the Ginzuishou. She had Magneto on the ropes, that much was clear. But the Master of Magnetism was nothing if not stubborn, and insanely strong-willed. From what she remembered reading about Magneto, he had to be in peak physical condition to use his powers to their fullest. He had taken plenty of hits from the other Senshi, especially when Sailor Jupiter got up close and personal. Yet Magneto hung on, keeping those magnetic shields up as Sailor Moon poured it on, hammering his defenses mercilessly.

Her white dress rippled as she sent out wave after wave of pure force. Flecks of rock were blown off the ground and walls around Sailor Moon, she was projecting so much power. The entire chamber kept trembling in the wake of her fury. It would be a wonder if the entire asteroid wasn't quaking. As for Magneto, it was all he could do to keep the Ginzuishou from blowing him away. He was forced into a squatting position, as if the Ginzuishou's power was closing in on him from all sides.

In desperation, Magneto flung more bits of machinery and rock Sailor Moon's way. She slashed at the air with one arm, contemptuously obliterating all his projectiles. "No way, Magneto! Not this time!" Sailor Moon bellow, then poured more power into the Ginzuishou. "For too long, you've thought of just about everyone else as beneath you, just like the Nazis did! It's time you learned you can't get away with this!"

Her outburst was a bit of a bravado. Sailor Moon could feel the danger zone in the offing, that point where the Ginzuishou could very well sap her life force, as it had for Queen Serenity. Still, she felt it was necessary. The sooner she broke through Magneto's defenses and ended this, the better.

Of course, Sailor Moon wasn't exactly out to kill him. Xavier tried that once after following Magneto into space, and that set off a domino effect leading to more ruin. Magneto had been right about one thing. He wasn't like Queen Beryl. Envy and lust for power weren't what motivated him, just a conviction that he had to act to protect his kind. Warped as his beliefs were, there was still some hope for him. She even sometimes heard lingering hope in Xavier's voice whenever he spoke of his old friend.

Still, this had to end. Magneto had to be taught a lesson, made to see that the price of messing with her country and her friends was too high.

Magneto fell to one knee, and Sailor Moon thought she felt his shields begin to buckle under the stress. Encouraged, Sailor Moon was about to increase her output again. Before she could, the chamber rumbled violently once more. This time, it had nothing to do with her assault.

At first, Sailor Moon thought little of it. But then she saw Magneto turn his head. Despite herself, Sailor Moon followed his gaze. There was something very wrong with the view outside the asteroid. Earth was much closer now. She could clearly make out Europe! Well, through the orangey, fiery haze spread over the glass, that was.

Sailor Moon looked back to Magneto in shock. He looked just as surprised as she, but he wouldn't use his powers to keep Asteroid M from crashing into Earth. He would let her do it, sapping her strength.

 _Oh no, I'm so close to breaking through!_ Sailor Moon thought anxiously. Magneto might not be responsible for this desperation move, but someone had to be. No doubt one of the Brotherhood or the Acolytes. And only she had to power to fix it, but possibly at the expense of this one chance to teach Magneto a lesson he'd never forget.

She looked out to Earth again, which loomed even closer now. Who knew if there was a point of no return, where she couldn't do anything, even with the Ginzuishou? Hundreds of thousands dead? Looking back to Magneto, she caught his challenging glare, as if daring her to choose.

Because he knew what her choice would be. Tears in her eyes, she continued to pound Magneto with whatever power she could spare as she began focusing on returning Asteroid M to its proper orbit.

White, gentle light replaced the fiery heat of reentry as the Ginzuishou's power slowly enveloped the asteroid. Its descent was slowed, and then halted. It wasn't that hard, she'd done this sort of thing with an asteroid before. The trick would be to still drill through Magneto's shields while getting Asteroid M a safe distance from Earth.

Sailor Moon grit her teeth, struggling to focus on both tasks at once. Getting Asteroid M back in orbit was proving more troublesome than she thought. She had used up too much energy before noticing it was falling, and that danger zone was getting closer. Meanwhile, drawing hope from this unforeseen boon, Magneto was getting his confidence back, a second wind. He pushed back against Sailor Moon's onslaught with renewed vigor.

With her concentration and her power output split, Sailor Moon couldn't do much to put Magneto back in his place. Asteroid M was almost free of Earth's gravitational pull, but that danger zone was coming up fast. With none of her friends by her side to lend their strength, when she hit it, there would be no choice but to stop using the Ginzuishou, or die.

And finally, there was no more she could do. Asteroid M was out of danger from crashing to Earth, just as she felt her life force start to tick away. With tears and a sigh, Sailor Moon relented. She reverted back to her usual Senshi form, the Ginzuishou retreating back into her brooch. She sank to one knee, panting, hoping she had taken the fight out of Magneto as well.

Those hopes were dashed upon seeing Magneto still on one knee as well, staring back at her. Sailor Moon had pushed him to the brink, but he wasn't beaten. They were both exhausted and battered, and no telling which one of them would ultimately come out on top.

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Y'know, as I wind down a big story like this, I move on to other fandoms and I'm so burned out on what I worked on, it's a while before I come back. That's... not proving to be the case this time. I've actually not been big into comics since the turn of the millennium, often being cash-strapped or focusing on things like college. Well, in 2018, that's changed. It started with the new _Domino_ series since I liked that character back in the 90s, then the _Fantastic Four_ relaunch. Then I find collections of _X-Men Blue_ and _X-Men Gold_ , the more recent runs of our fabled mutants, at libraries. And now I'm buying up this five-part _X-Men Black_ miniseries, which focuses on some of the team's most infamous baddies, to hype up the relaunch of _Uncanny X-Men_ now that Marvel is finally regaining movie rights.

And how appropriate that _X-Men Black: Magneto_ came out as I was working on this chapter. Co-written by Chris Claremont himself, and actually had a plot point used in this story: mutant children being rounded up. I sure needed the extra inspiration, as I agonized over this one more than the others.

But now I'm doubting the approach I took. I first got this idea in early 2006 when I started watching the _Sailor Moon_ DVDs, while also playing through the two _X-Men Legends_ games. Those games used a continuity all their own, and I became convinced to do the same, especially as more years went by and my knowledge gap got wider and wider. Plus, the whole M-Day thing sounded so depressing, I just wanted to ignore it. So yeah, I took liberties, and pretty much set it in right at the turn of the millennium in X-Men history, with heavy use of Broad Strokes. Now that I'm slowly filling the gaps, I'm wondering far too late if it was the smartest move.

Oh well, is what it is. Not much longer to go now!

So long,

Grey-X


	38. Surviving the Experience

**Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse**

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 38: Surviving the Experience

11-18-2018

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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Frenzy slammed Naru's face onto her knee again and again. The blows were hard enough to daze her a little, thus it required quite some effort to build up a burst of dark energy. Frenzy got wind of this, and put distance between the two of them with a punch to Naru's gut that sent her flying across the chamber.

 _Not as hard-hitting as the Blob, but definitely packing more of a punch than Sabretooth,_ Naru mused as rock and metal plating gave way to her backside. _Ahhh, the comparisons I can make after a few short hours in an X-Men uniform..._

Groaning and gritting her teeth, Naru pried herself off the wall. She readied another surge of dark power, but Frenzy was wasting no time. She had charged ahead, bridging the gap between them, fist reared back. _How do people as huge as Blob and this bitch move so damn fast!?_ Naru wondered as she unleashed a bolt of black lightning.

It only slowed Frenzy down. With crazed determination, Frenzy powered her way through it. "Not good enough, Little Miss Eclipse!" sneered Frenzy. "Before I pay your pet human another visit, I'll pulp you into extra-fine paste for putting on those colors!"

Fortunately, Naru had plenty more tricks up her sleeve. While Frenzy was forcing back her dark power, Naru let her ooze flow. It pooled at her feet, then traveled along the ground until it snaked up and ensnare Frenzy while her attention was elsewhere.

"Oh, I'm sure you could, Cargill," said Naru airily as she slammed Frenzy against the platform, the walls, everything solid in sight. "Good thing I've got more going for me than muscle." Naru kept delivering shocks of dark energy through her tendrils as well, in the hopes she'd finally wear Frenzy down. She'd have to trust in Lockheed and Chibi-Moon to watch Umino's back. She couldn't take her eyes off Frenzy until she was beaten into submission, or she'd try to pulp Umino again for sure. _At least she's determined to take me out first._ S _eeing me in this uniform has worked her into, well, a 'frenzy'..._

Unfortunately, Frenzy wasn't exactly all muscle and no brains either. When Naru slammed her down onto the platform again, Frenzy dug one hand into the metal grating and grabbed a tendril with the other. It was solid enough to let Frenzy pull Naru toward her. With a surprised cry, Naru was flung toward the Acolyte, stopping only when Frenzy's fist sank into her gut.

Her oil slick reflexively retracted as Frenzy let her drop. It was far from the hardest hit Naru had ever taken, and she was already rising on shaky legs. Frenzy seized the opening, however, and kicked her back down to the ground. Naru tried bringing her oil slick and dark power back out, but Frenzy brought her foot down, driving Naru's head down into the metal.

"You little human-humping hussy!" Frenzy shrieked, planting a foot onto her spine next. Thankfully, Naru's own invulnerability saved her from a broken back. "For a while it looked like you had the right of it, but now you side with the blasphemous X-Men!? Why!? Don't tell me that scrawny little twitwaffle convinced you to submit to flatscan law! Before I paste you, I just may rip his head off while you watch, so..." 

A familiar sound drowned out Frenzy's maniacal voice, and the pressure on her back faded. Naru pried her face out and looked across the chamber. Sailor Uranus stared at her from the other end, Space Sword out, nodding. Meanwhile, Neptune used Deep Submerge to smother Unuscione's psionic exskeleton. Uranus turned back and used World Shaking. Sandwiched between the Outer Senshi's attacks, her exoskeleton finally collapsed.

 _At this rate, we'll never be even,_ Naru mused. The Outers had Unuscione on the ropes, so she had to finish this with Frenzy. Rising to her feet, she saw Frenzy was dazed, more surprised than anything else.

 _Not as surprised as you're about to be,_ Naru thought angrily, charging. Frenzy's eyes met hers just as Naru landed punch after punch into her gut. _Can't give her a moment's breath, or she'll grapple me again and game over._ Mixing it up with shocks of dark energy and lashes of her oily tendrils, along with asteroid-shaking punches, Naru kept Frenzy one the defensive. "It was _MY_ decision to stand trial, Frenzy, _MY_ decision to put on this uniform!" Naru snarled. "I'm _DONE_ with people like Erina Kizachi and Magneto pulling strings! And by the way, my personal life is _NONE OF YOUR GODDAMN BUSINESS_!"

She emphasized that by jumping up and delivering one last punch to Frenzy's face. Naru smiled when she saw blood spurt from her nose and mouth. Frenzy was forced several meters back, her boots skidding against the metal grating. She brought a hand up to her face, and her eyes widened when she saw blood had dribbled onto her fingers. Naru shrugged her shoulders. "Want some more? I can do this all day, too."

Frenzy simply snarled, charging again. But there was a resounding cry of "Submarine Reflection!" Frenzy turned to see Unuscione rocketing right toward her, propelled by Neptune's attack.

Unuscione had partially erected her psionic exoskeleton again. So when she slammed into Frenzy, it must have been like getting hit by a semi truck going full speed. Something Naru could stand her ground against, but Frenzy, not quite as well.

Both Acolytes went through the rocky wall. Naru peered inside the gaping hole Neptune had made. Frenzy and Unuscione were embedded several meters into solid rock. Both were still breathing, but out cold, and hopefully would remain so for some time.

For a moment, Naru's gaze lingered on Frenzy. "Such hate... I got over it, though. Maybe you will too, one day," she muttered to herself. When she turned back to the Outer Senshi, Naru saw they were already making their way back to the central consoles. Casting one last look back at Unuscione and Frenzy, Naru flung a tendril up at the level above her, and pulled herself up.

Once she regrouped with Uranus and Neptune, she found Chibi-Moon and Lockheed barely clinging to consciousness. One of those weird shotguns lay on a console next to Fabian Cortez, smoking. Cortez himself had his hands around Umino's throat, slamming him against the main console.

"Trying to undo my work, were you flatscan?" Cortez snarled softly. Umino gazed up at him fearfully, but then his eyes fell on the three of them. "It matters little, now. Sailor Moon halted this asteroid's descent at the expense of her one chance to stop Lord Magneto, and now..." He stopped upon noticing Umino was looking elsewhere. "Your friends... are right behind me, aren't they?"

Naru answered by wrapping a tendril around Cortez's neck. She yanked him off of Umino and threw him at Uranus and Neptune's feet. At the moment, she couldn't trust herself to not snap the cretin in half. The Outer Senshi, on the other hand...

As Uranus and Neptune pummeled Cortez with bare fists, Naru helped Chibi-Moon to her feet. "Oh no, Chibiusa... What did he do? He didn't try that power amplification thing, did he?"

"N-N-No, it doesn't work on Sailor Senshi. T-T-That shotgun just packs a punch is all. I'll live, d-d-d-don't worry," Chibi-Moon croaked. "H-H-How're Umino and Lockheed?"

"I'll survive," grumbled Umino. "B-B-But you heard Cortez. He baited Sailor Moon into diverting energy to keep the asteroid in orbit. I-I-I tried to stop it, but I was locked out, and..."

"No one's blaming you, Umino," said Neptune, standing over Cortez's still form. Naru looked down to see his face was now an unrecognizable slab of beef. No less than he deserved. "Still, you're right. I could sense the asteroid shaking during the fight with Unuscione, but far less now."

"And the resonance my crystal had with the Ginzuishou, I don't feel it anymore either," said Chibi-Moon, who was cradling Lockheed.

"Then the princess stopped using it," said Neptune. "The question is, did she defeat Magneto before it got too dangerous to use?"

"We'd better make haste to the far end of the asteroid and find out," said Uranus gravely. "Unless we still need to fiddle with computers here," she added, glaring at Umino.

"No, _THAT'S_ done and over with," Umino said quickly. "Still, how do you suggest we get halfway across Asteroid M in time to help?"

Naru was wondering the same thing herself, then noticed Uranus was now glaring at her instead. It suddenly clicked, what Uranus was thinking. "Oh no, you do _NOT_ want me to try that!" Naru said quickly. "The people I teleport with... I nearly killed Umino when I tried it with him! Besides, I don't have anything tagged over where Magneto is! I can't make blind teleports that far!"

"Umino may be a problem, but the rest of us can survive," said Uranus, undaunted. "So figure something out, fast."

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Once the X-Men could move on, Charles Xavier dared to hope they could get to Sailor Moon in time. It turned out Luna's guess was on the money. Soon after the asteroid stopped shaking for the most part, Cable's bionic eye could still pick up traces of intense, localized electromagnetic fields. His old friend was still fighting, and Sailor Moon forced to stop using her greatest weapon.

Worse, those electromagnetic fields were undoubtedly set up as a defensive measure, to block his and Cable's telepathy. Magneto's helmet must have been destroyed or taken, since at times he could brush against his anguished mind. But with the interference thrown up, Xavier couldn't really do anything, and Magneto's strong will did the rest.

And that wasn't the only roadblock Magneto put in their path. Determined to keep the X-Men from interfering until it was too late, he had barred just about every conceivable path with junk and chunks of the asteroid. Some tunnels were packed so densely, even Rogue and Colossus had difficulty plowing through.

Gambit charged up cards with as much energy as he dared, then slid them between some metal beams that were stuffed into the passageway the X-Men were currently in. Colossus stepped forward as Gambit backed away, easily taking the blast and moving in to pound more junk loose.

Gambit shook his head upon seeing he hadn't exactly made things easier for Colossus. "We be gettin' nowhere this way," Gambit grumbled. "Moonie may've worn Mags down, but it'll be a while before we can take advantage of it."

"He's still got enough juice to keep this area electrostatically charged, though," said Shadowcat. "Enough so I don't dare try phasing anyone through."

"Yet we will forge a path onward, Katya, because we must," said Colossus. He sank punch after punch into the mass of compressed metal junk, and Rogue flew in to lend a hand. "The Sailor Senshi have done so much for us, leaving their leader to face Magneto herself is out of the question."

"Can't _ANY_ of you do something to speed this up!?" spat Luna. "You're the _X-MEN_ , for crying out loud! You held your own against the Sailor Senshi and then some, the destined protectors of this world! How have you beaten Magneto every other time if it's so easy for him to keep you at bay!?"

"The little kitty's got a point," said Wolverine. "We've pulled through against Magneto for the whole damn world. We gotta do it again for these kids."

Xavier nodded, feeling quite ashamed himself. Usagi Tsukino came to him, feeling she had nowhere else to turn, that he and the X-Men were Naru's only hope. Yet Naru had gone astray despite all their efforts, at least for a time. And despite such failures, Usagi did so much for him, perhaps without realizing the scope. All of the Sailor Senshi were willing to sacrifice their reputations, put everything on the line, to fight for his dream in their home country. It humbled Xavier to no end, but now, when the Sailor Senshi needed him and his X-Men the most, once again they were found wanting. Bad enough he didn't dare use his powers against Magneto so directly again. Now, they couldn't even _REACH_ him.

Still, Luna was right. Between him and nine X-Men, one of them had to have a solution. _Wait, perhaps not necessarily one of us,_ Xavier suddenly realized. "Luna, would Sailor Chibi-Moon be able to help? Isn't her transformation item actually the Ginzuishou from the future, or at least imbued with a portion of its power? Perhaps it will resonate with Sailor Moon's Ginzuishou, at least point to where she is?"

The cat looked up at him quizzically. "I... supposed that would work."

"Not like we have any better ideas right now," said Artemis. "OK Professor, see if you can find her." Xavier nodded, then closed his eyes and concentrated. Luckily, Magneto's power wasn't keeping him from scanning the rest of the asteroid.

For a while, all he could find were the minds of panicked 'citizens' of Asteroid M. Mutants who weren't exactly Acolytes and stayed out of the fighting, but still agreed to serve Magneto and help maintain Asteroid M's systems. But then, Xavier finally zeroed in on Sailor Chibi-Moon, her mind like a bright, shining beacon. Her goodness, her optimism, just reaching out and touching that mind did so much to rekindle his own hopes, much as her 'mother' did.

 _Sailor Chibi-Moon, we have a dire situation over here,_ Xavier told her. _Magneto has set up considerable roadblocks to keep us from reaching the Inner Senshi. Worse, someone arranged to have Asteroid M fall to Earth, to goad Sailor Moon into raising it up with the Ginzuishou._

 _We already know about that last part, Professor X,_ came Chibi-Moon's reply, surprisingly calm. _Fabian Cortez was put in his place for that, and we've got Naru, so we're done over here, and..._ A pause, quite a loud silence, but Xavier could sense the gears turning in the young girl's head. _Professor, can you latch onto ALL the minds around me, and in turn, let us know where you and the X-Men are?_

 _Of course,_ said Xavier. _But to what end?_

 _Please, just do it,_ said Chibi-Moon. _There's someone here who can better explain it than I can._

Confused, but willing to go along, Xavier scanned for all the minds around Sailor Chibi-Moon. As usual, Lockheed's proved elusive, but those of Umino, Uranus and Neptune were easy to pick up. There was one mind completely alien to him, at least at first. Once he delved a little deeper, Xavier gasped in shock.

 _Is that you I feel sneaking around, Professor Xavier?_ came a snarky retort. _Allow me to finally bid you welcome._

 _Naru Osaka?_ Xavier demanded incredulously. _How is this possible? You couldn't even willingly let me into your mind!_

A flash of sorrow, of excruciating loss, hit back at Xavier like a hammer. Yet when Naru replied, she was resolute, setting aside her grief. _I've... lost something forever, what shielded my mind. But I've gained something as well. Help me reach you, use your telepathy like a beacon for me to follow, and you'll see._

Xavier hesitated a moment, not sure what Naru was getting at. He could now peer into her mind for precise answers, of course, but now was not the time. _Very well, Ms. Osaka,_ he said, linking his mind to Naru's. Suddenly, he understood what was about to happen, mere seconds before it did.

"Well, did you find her?" asked Luna impatiently.

Xavier looked to her, then at Iceman and Beast, who were standing over the cats. "Umm, you four might want to back up. Quite a bit."

The cats looked to each other, confused. "I don't get it," said Artemis. "What's... RAWR!"

Beast picked up both cats by the scruffs of their necks. "When the professor suggests something, it's a prudent course of action to listen," said Beast as he backed up along with Iceman. They moved just in time. A plume of billowing, black fire erupted without warning in the middle of the passageway, making some of the X-Men jump back.

Then the flames coalesced, taking distinct shapes. When the fire and darkness faded, Xavier saw Naru standing there, Lockheed perched on her head, and Umino and the rest of the Sailor Senshi clinging to her. Lockheed seemed unaffected by the trip, but Umino collapsed to his knees, shivering and gagging, then threw up. The teleport wasn't as deleterious for the three Senshi, though they were visibly shaken.

As Naru knelt beside Umino, Uranus looked to Xavier. "So, it's been a slog trying to reach Magneto, I hear?" she said impatiently.

"With Sailor Neptune here, maybe she'll speed things up, using that mirror to blast us a path," said Cable. "But yes, it's not looking good so far."

"Unless Eclipse can teleport some of us right to wherever Sailor Moon and Magneto are," suggested Beast. "Dark energy is more or less theorized to not participate in interaction with electromagnetic forces. So perhaps the electromagnetic interference that is stymying Kitty's phasing, Cable's bodyslide and the professor's telepathy with not impede your abilities, Ms. Osaka."

As Xavier looked back to Naru, he noticed what she was wearing. Bright blue and yellow, the uniform for his original X-Men! Is this what Naru meant about 'gaining something as well'!?

The surprised stares from some of the X-Men mirrored his own. "Well now, Mags hung onto some of them New Mutants uniforms, huh?" said Wolverine with a hint of amusement. "And here he was fixin' to take you under his wing, but instead... Oh, the irony."

Indeed, her rejection of Magneto's path could not be me more complete. But what had she lost? He suspected that there was a subtle duality to her psyche, from what happened with this Nephrite. Did it go deeper than that?

Whatever the case, Naru seemed oblivious to his befuddlement. She slowly stood, satisfied that Umino would be fine, and nodded to Beast.

"I can help guide you, Ms. Osaka. Going by Fury's intelligence, I can pinpoint where Magneto's command chamber is," said Xavier. Nodding to him as well, she shut her eyes and concentrated as Xavier touched her mind again. As he did so, he felt very little anger, her grief over her losses more or less let go. In place of that, there was only a determination to fix her mistakes.

Dark power crackled over her body, and black fire engulfed her. But soon, the flames fizzled. Naru shook her head. "I'm sorry, Dr. McCoy. Magneto's thought of everything. He must've set up something like what you tried to do to stymie dark energy. He didn't want me teleporting in any more than Cable."

"So there's no way for you to break in!?" cried Luna.

Xavier saw Naru begin to tear up. "I-I-I-I feel like I could do it, force my way through, with some more power," said Naru apologetically. "But like Rei said, Nephrite's abilities tied to my physical maturity like all the rest, so there's no... way to..." Suddenly, she turned to Xavier. "Professor Xavier, I hear it's not something you like to do, but... You've got to use your telepathy to bend someone's will."

"It won't work, Osaka," said Cable. "Even if he's lost his helmet, our combined power can't punch through this interference to control Magneto."

Naru fixed Cable with a surprisingly steely glare. "Who said anything about controlling Magneto?" With that, she vanished in a black blaze. Only to reappear seconds later, with someone else held overhead. Naru threw someone in an Acolyte uniform at Xavier's feet. Given his face was beaten to a bloody pulp, it took a moment to realize this was Fabian Cortez.

Looking back up to Naru, she quietly stared back and nodded. Deciding they had no better options, Xavier concentrated, and Cortez's eyes snapped open.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

With his powers taxed beyond their limits to prevent being blown away by the Ginzuishou, a lot of the fight was taken out of Magneto. Of course, this wasn't all good news for Sailor Moon. Perhaps Magneto could lob fewer metal objects at her, but plenty of junk could still be flung her way. And using the Ginzuishou like that left her exhausted as well, slowing her reaction time and increasing the likelihood of another direct hit.

"WAAAAAAH!" Sailor Moon cried, a trail of asteroid chunks and metal beams striking the ground behind her as she ran in a panic. Granted, it was hard to think straight when one of the most powerful mutants ever was still out for your hide. Not to mention, he was keeping her from reaching any of the trapped Senshi.

Still, Sailor Moon didn't forget she was far from helpless. Turning around and twisting in midair as she jumped to avoid getting impaled by another metal beam, Sailor Moon reached for her tiara. "Moon Tiara Action!" she cried, and the blazing disc cut through more of that junk.

Magneto was standing on the ground, perhaps too exhausted to hover. It hadn't looked like his shields were up, but the disc stopped a short distance in front of him. Sailor Moon willed it to press forward, and Magneto grit his teeth as he tried to repel it.

With his attention focused on that, and perhaps unable to erect that magnetic bubble fully, Sailor Moon figured she had an opening. She charged while willing her tiara to keep at it, and jumped. "Sailor Moon Kick!" She nailed Magneto right between the eyes, and he toppled backwards.

As Magneto struggled to sit up, Sailor Moon produced her kaleidoscope, pointing it right at his face. "Just face it, it's over Magneto!" she pleaded. "You were Xavier's friend once, it shouldn't have to end this way!"

Magneto spat out some blood. Plenty more blood dribbled down through his hair, onto his face, punctuating how drained he looked. He fixed Sailor Moon with a defiant gaze. "No, it shouldn't," Magneto said evenly. "Many of the things the two of us have endured before we met... simply shouldn't have happened."

"You've suffered a lot, Magneto. Plenty couldn't blame you for feeling as you do," said Sailor Moon. "But this fight's got to end. You used Naru like a chess piece, brought her here against her will, but we're taking her back. It's over."

Magneto stifled a chuckle. "After everything she's done, you stand by Eclipse without a second thought. I... admire such unwavering dedication to your old friend. As for me, if you've studied my history with the X-Men, listened to what Charles told you about me, you'd know..."

Suddenly, Sailor Moon felt something cold grasp her from behind. She had been standing on a rocky part of the floor, but Magneto had surreptitiously manipulated metal plating elsewhere. The metal sheets embedded themselves into the rocky floor and wrapped around Sailor Moon, forcing her to spread her arms, aiming the kaleidoscope away from Magneto.

"You'd know that I cannot, and will never, yield," Magneto finished. Sailor Moon stared back fearfully, but Magneto's expression was unreadable. He just stood there a few meters away, hunched over slightly, one hand cradling his side. It was as if he was just as reluctant to decidedly end this as Sailor Moon was. "As for your friend, I couldn't let her foolishly submit herself to laws written by those who see us as abominations. As you said, I lived through the horror of that once. Never again."

"Damn right!" came an echoing, furious cry from above. "Let you pull on strings and make decisions for me? _**NEVER AGAIN!**_ "

Sailor Moon and Magneto craned their heads up. Something surrounded in crackling, coalescing darkness, beneath which were glimpses of bright blue and yellow, dropped down toward them. It landed with a booming thud that rattled Sailor Moon's teeth and knocked Magneto back.

Sailor Moon shook her head, then looked at who just came to the rescue. She recognized this. That arrangement of blue and yellow... an old-school X-Men uniform! Only, the sleeves were ripped off. Sailor Moon saw black ooze dribbling down those arms, then saw reddish-brown hair tied back with a bow. " _NARU!?_ Is that really you!?" Sailor Moon cried in disbelief.

Naru turned around, and Sailor Moon gasped. Naru's eyes were now solid black orbs, and that dark energy kept crackling all over her, as if she now had trouble containing it. And her muscles... They didn't look any bigger, but somehow, more defined than ever. What had happened to Naru? It was as if all her powers just got supercharged!

There had been a hardness to her gaze, but after looking Sailor Moon in the eye, her expression softened a little. "Usagi, I..." she began uneasily. "I-I-I-I mean, I r-r-r-really didn't apologize before getting picked up and..." Naru shook her head, then brought out an oily tendril. She lashed it out at Sailor Moon like a whip. Sailor Moon wailed, shutting her eyes. But instead of the expected pain, she felt the metal plating fall off of her. "Look, we'll talk later, once the X-Men get us off this rock," Naru went on as Sailor Moon stared back in confusion. "For now, j-j-j-just... Just take a breather. You've done enough, busting out the Ginzuishou. Let me finish this."

Naru turned back to Magneto, who was getting back up. He began flinging more machinery parts and rock chunks at them, but Naru charged, heedless of it all. She knocked aside bulldozer-sized hunks of rock as if they were nothing. Magneto kept levitating backward as he kept up the pressure, but Naru was still closing the gap. At one point, she brought out a plethora of tendrils and scooped up a good deal of Magneto's junk. Before Magneto could repel it, Naru swung it all around like a mace. This knocked Magneto back toward that glass barrier, beyond which some of Asteroid M's heavy machinery was situated.

Still on the move, Naru leaped and tackled Magneto. He must have had some shielding erected over his body. Sailor Moon heard Naru scream, and electricity crackled over her body. Still, Naru smashed Magneto into the glass barrier so hard, it shattered, and both fell out of sight.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The two mutants tumbled a good distance. While Magneto concentrated on bringing his magnetic powers to bear, tapping what reserves he had left, Naru lashed out with her tendrils. But not at Magneto. Rather, she scooped up jagged pieces of shattered glass. They stuck to her forearms, turning them into spiky bludgeons.

Magneto halted his descent just enough to land safely, but Naru was there to meet him. With a shriek of fury, she landed a blow with those jagged glass chunks. Magneto still had partial shielding erected around his body, but he kept staggering back as she landed one hit after another.

Thanks to her strength getting boosted again, possibly well past Colossus's level, the impacts were getting through. The strain from Cortez's power boost was excruciating, but Naru pushed past the pain. This had to be finished before the boost wore off. The Inner Senshi carried the fight this far. To make up for how she betrayed their friendship and trust, she had to finish it.

Another blow, and Magneto was knocked to the ground. Not letting up, Naru rained punch after punch down on Magneto with those glass shards.

"You and Kizachi manipulate me into turning on the Sailor Senshi!? Try to ruin my life so I see things your way, because your childhood was so horrific!?" Her words were almost drowned out by how the machine chamber was quaking with each blow. "Like the Sailor Senshi themselves might say... _**UNFORGIVABLE!**_ "

Naru raised her arm again, aiming to keep bludgeoning Magneto until that shield finally collapsed. But something yanked her off of him. Looking up, Naru saw Magneto had willed some part of the heavy machinery in here to grasp her. Before she could teleport away or wrench herself free, a surge of electricity went through it, making Naru scream. The boost didn't remove her vulnerability to electricity.

But as suddenly as the surge began, it ceased. Feeling herself falling, Naru looked to see the mechanical arm had been severed. A glowing, blazing disc shot up to where Magneto and Naru crashed through, and Sailor Moon dropped down. Once she landed, she aimed her kaleidoscope at Magneto and screamed, "Moon Gorgeous Meditation!"

Even after the beating Magneto took, his defenses were still holding out. Sailor Moon's attack drove him back, his feet sliding against the floor, but otherwise Magneto stood his ground.

 _We'll see about that!_ Naru rushed up to Sailor Moon as she let the glass shards fall way. She placed her hands on her shoulders, pouring dark power into her friend like before. _Hopefully, Magneto's shields will buckle under the strain, just like Mastermold's armor,_ Naru silently pleaded. Out loud, she said, "Just keep pouring it on, Usagi! This has _GOT_ to put him down!"

Naru could sense Sailor Moon's unease. Most likely, her boosted dark power influx would be far more painful than before. Indeed, just as Magneto was blasted back into a wall, Sailor Moon cried out, "Naru, that's enough! I can't take any more!"

Sighing, Naru let go of Sailor Moon's shoulders and backed away. She had put her old friend through enough already, no sense adding to it. "Alright, Usagi," said Naru. "It looks like we got him anyway, so..."

Naru gasped in disbelief as Magneto emerged from the wall, electromagnetic energy crackling around him. Blood dribbled down his face, not to mention his chest where that armor was blasted away, and he looked ready to collapse from exhaustion. And yet, Magneto still wouldn't give it up.

"You can't go Ginzuishou again anytime soon, Moon Gorgeous Meditation can't be powered up reliably without Helios..." Naru grumbled. "Damnit Sailor Moon, is there anything left in the tank that'll put him down!? This power boost of mine won't last forever..."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Magneto expected both girls to strike in unison. Surely they smelled blood and believed that if they kept up the pressure, he would ultimately fall. _They... would be right about that,_ Magneto silently admitted to himself. _Withstanding that assault from the Ginzuishou, it was almost as if the Silver Surfer himself let loose. I... don't have much left._

Naru whispered something to Sailor Moon, who simply nodded. Then Naru charged, once again aiming to tackle him alone. The sight of her in one of those old New Mutants uniforms... Magneto thought he had buried those memories, of that disastrous time where he tried to walk Charles's path and failed.

Now Naru was throwing those failures back in his face. It was part of the reason he did what he did, why he wanted Naru to represent young mutants of her country rising up. But yet again, his plans to secure the future of young mutants ended in bitter failure.

Strips of metal flew to Magneto, wrapping around his arms. Naru threw a punch, but Magneto blocked it with his metal-covered forearm, aided by his magnetic shielding. He threw a punch with his other hand, delivering an electric jolt in the progress, but Naru barely flinched.

Expecting her to strike again right away, Magneto readied an even bigger surge of energy. But just as he unleashed it, Naru vanished in a flash of black flame. Obviously, the countermeasures he took to keep Naru from freely teleporting in sensitive areas weren't working. How could this be? Naru's overall power... It was far greater than it should be. _Hmmm, Cortez, is this your scheming again? Or did Charles force you into this?_ Magneto wondered. _A puzzle for another time. Sailor Moon may not be thirst for blood, but Osaka is something else entirely._

Magneto had shields around his body, as strong as he could make them. Still, braced as he was, Naru's next punch rattled him to the core when she teleported in from behind and struck. Magneto fired electromagnetic force bolts in all directions, and one struck Naru. She hit the deck, screaming, but immediately sprang up and whipped at him with a tendril. It was enough to disorient him, and she teleported away again.

When she appeared again, several seconds later, only the sound of her crackling black lightning alerted Magneto to her presence. With other teleporters, like Nightcrawler, their movements could be sensed along lines of electromagnetic force. Not so with Naru. This power from the Dark Kingdom, when used to teleport, was almost impossible to pinpoint until it was too late.

Naru unleashed a volley of black lightning, powerful enough to hammer Magneto to his knees. Still, he had enough strength to fling some ruined bits from that mechanical arm at Naru. Naru saw it coming, and teleported away.

"What are you playing at, Eclipse!?" Magneto demanded vehemently. "If you seek retribution against me, then face me!" But it wasn't just her he had to be wary of. There was no sign of Sailor Moon now. It was easy to sense a Sailor Senshi right before they struck, if he was on alert, but their leader was lying low for the moment. Was this part of Naru's plan? What were these girls up to?

Naru said nothing as she teleported in, opting to rush at him with a kick to his gut, then vanish again. Another few seconds before Naru reemerged, whipping at him with piledriving tendrils despite how they conducted some electricity toward her, then teleported away.

On and on this would go, these hit-and-run maneuvers. Given enough time, Naru could easily wear him down and claim victory. But this couldn't go on forever. Magneto had been watching Naru closely. With each teleport, it was visibly taking more and more effort to pull it off. Cortez's power boost was fading fast.

Magneto concentrated, suspending tiny flecks of metal, almost invisible to the naked eye, in the air around him. So when Naru teleported in again, he could sense where suspended flecks were disrupted. Magneto cut loose in that direction will all the electromagnetic force he could muster, pinning Naru to a nearby wall. As he watched Naru struggle, he could see it. Naru's eyes went from that solid black to their usual state. The power boost had faded just enough to keep Naru from teleporting away, at least while in this part of Asteroid M.

Magneto levitated the girl over to him. Naru writhed in his grip, clenching her teeth to keep from screaming as electric energy was conducted through her. "So much hope was pinned on you, Naru Osaka," said Magneto, as calmly as he could. It took so much effort to keep his legs from buckling, the girl had delivered such a pounding. "Even before you revealed yourself as Eclipse to the world, you were already suffering in silence. You saw the fear and distrust of our kind, felt the fear that you would be the next target. And your disillusionment with the Sailor Senshi settled in long before I made that monorail track collapse. So why? Why put on that uniform, which represents a dream that's failed the both of us? What you do think you'll accomplish?"

Naru just stared back silently, her face stony. But then, to Magneto's surprise, she cracked a smile. "What do I think I'll accomplish?" Naru repeated mockingly. "Nothing. I'm the same girl I always was, Magneto. The one who needs Sailor Moon to rescue her. And sometimes, the perfect decoy!"

Magneto's eyes widened, sensing it an instant before Naru finished her rant. He looked over his shoulder, and saw all five Inner Senshi standing a good distance away, forming a ring. "Sailor... Planet..." they began. _THIS_ was Naru's plan all along! Free a Sailor Senshi in between teleports, then keep him occupied as they prepared to strike!

" _ **ATTACK!**_ " screamed the Inner Senshi, unleashing their combined fury. Right before their attack struck, several spinning roses hit Magneto in the face. This let Tuxedo Kamen rush in and tackle Naru, getting her out of harm's way. And then, even with his shields as strong as he could make them, the Sailor Planet Attack blew him away, knocking him into one of the chamber's machine towers, which promptly toppled.

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Sailor Moon raised her arms to shield her face from the rush of wind and metal flecks kicked up by that tower toppling over Magneto. At first, she feared that the Sailor Planet Attack had killed him. The aim was still, even after everything he had done, to take the Master of Magnetism alive. But her concern for him was swiftly eclipsed by worry over Tuxedo Kamen and Naru once she lowered her arms. She saw no trace of them. Could they have been caught up in that collapsing machine tower, too?

"Tuxedo Kamen! Naru! Say something!" cried Sailor Moon, rushing over to the closest bits of wreckage. She started moving some of the junk aside, but a good deal of the debris was too heavy. Even when Sailor Jupiter joined in, the bigger pieces simply couldn't be budged. And none of them were overly eager to try using any attacks to clear it, lest they accidentally hurt Naru or Tuxedo Kamen in the process.

Still, Sailor Moon pressed on. They didn't come this far just to lose Naru now, not to mention the love of her life. She was so wrapped up in trying to clear all that junk, Sailor Moon hardly noticed a low rumbling that seemed to reverberate throughout the entire asteroid.

Just as hope was starting to fade, something dropped down with a booming thud. She looked up to see Colossus come up to remove debris, and then Rogue flew down to help. "Fear not, Sailor Moon," said Colossus. "We will find your friends, even if we must clear every scrap of this junkpile."

Sailor Moon stared at him for a moment, watching as he effortlessly tossed aside massive chunks of machinery. Then she turned around, and saw Cable lowering himself and some of the other X-Men down. Iceman created an ice slide to let the rest slide down. The remaining Senshi, the mooncats and Umino followed this way. They looked around in shock for a moment, then looked to Sailor Moon.

"So, I take it the Master of Magnetism is buried somewhere under several hundred metric tons of debris?" Neptune asked dubiously. But mostly, she sounded disappointed that she and Uranus wouldn't get another chance to tackle Magneto themselves.

Sailor Moon could only nod dully. "Does this mean you did it, Usagi?" asked Artemis. "The Sailor Senshi triumphed over him?"

"C'mon Artemis," Venus scoffed, striking a pose. "Was there ever a doubt?" Her bravado couldn't quite hide how worn out they all looked. Or how worried they still were about Tuxedo Kamen and Naru.

"B-B-B-But Tuxedo Kamen and Naru are buried somewhere under all that, too!" cried Sailor Moon, dread clawing at her heart.

"Don't give up hope just yet," said Xavier. "I can sense their thoughts. They're alive, and mostly unharmed."

"I can second that," said Cable. He stepped up, looking at some spot just beyond Sailor Moon. She looked to where he was gazing, and some of the wreckage there was flung away by an unseen force. Sailor Moon forced herself to steady her breathing. This was telekinesis, not magnetism.

After Cable removed more bits of junk, a large slag of metal plating was flipped over off the ground by pillars of black goo. And then, slowly, Tuxedo Kamen and Naru rose. Both their outfits were torn in several places. Not only that, they had to lean on each other as they slowly made their way to the others.

Sailor Moon and Umino ran up to meet them. Tuxedo Kamen winced as Sailor Moon tackled him with a hug, wailing and sobbing, but he bit back a hiss of pain and hugged her back. Happy now that Tuxedo Kamen was safe, she looked over to Naru and Umino. They quietly embraced each other, crying softly now that the ordeal was over.

Xavier walked up to them. "Ms. Osaka, that was incredibly brave, what you just did," said Xavier. "I couldn't take the risk of confronting Magneto directly again, but you... You threw yourself in his path without a second thought, once again." Sailor Moon felt a surge of pride for her, but Naru just looked down, still plagued with doubt and shame.

"So... is it really over?" Chibi-Moon asked, her voice full of doubt as well.

"Not really. We still need to see if Magneto survived," said Mercury.

"So we keep clearin' all this junk until we find what's left of 'im," added Wolverine.

"Oh please. After everything we threw at him, the Sailor Planet Attack mashing him into that machine tower..." Mars scoffed. "C'mon, he's just a normal man under all the magnetic shielding. How could _ANYONE_ survive that!?"

"Little lady, if I had five bucks for every time the X-Men thought Magneto was put on ice..." grumbled Iceman.

"Bobby's right," said Cable. "And I'm picking up low levels of electromagnetic energy with my bionic eye, along with erratic thought patterns, from over there."

Everyone turned to where Cable was pointing just as massive bits of machinery began to shift. "Oh great, that's not Cable's telekinesis, people! Look alive!" cried Jupiter, her antenna still out.

"Is this for real!? He's _STILL_ not down!?" spat Venus in utter disbelief. Parts of the downed machine tower moved aside, and smaller bits of junk began to levitate, as if ready to fling themselves at the X-Men and Sailor Senshi. But then, Sailor Moon heard Jupiter exhale, and a moment later, all that junk fell back down.

"Depends. What d'you classify as 'down'?" asked Gambit.

The Sailor Senshi and X-Men climbed over the bits of debris in between them and where Cable sensed Magneto. Soon enough, they found him. After getting off the bulk of the debris, he had just enough strength to fling away a scrap of plating pinning him down. His cape was in tatters, more of that compound armor was burned and blasted away, revealing more sickly burns. Blood still poured down his face, obfuscating that look that still oozed defiance even as they all approached.

"And here I thought there'd be no opportunity to settle the score," Uranus sneered,walking up to him calmly. Many of the others weren't so confident Magneto had nothing left. Sailor Moon saw Gambit charge up some cards, and Neptune had her mirror at the ready. Magneto's expression did not change in the face of all this, even as Uranus grabbed his hair to hoist him up. "You go after our princess's heart, and then her life? And betray the best friend you ever had countless times before that?" She raised the tip of her Space Sword to Magneto's throat.

Magneto spat out some blood. "Very well, Tenoh," he said in a gurgling voice, meeting her gaze. "If only this will satisfy you, so be it."

"Uranus, we talked about this," came Naru's voice.

"This isn't like Sabretooth," Uranus said quickly. "His power is far too great to be contained, he's proven a match even for the Sailor Senshi's collective might. This opportunity may never come again."

"Gotta side with the kid, Uranus," said Wolverine. "Line's gotta be drawn at murder. We got Naru back, Asteroid M's a wreck, and now Mags knows better than t' pick fights with the Sailor Senshi goin' forward."

"We've all been tempted to just end it when the opportunity arose," added Storm. "But the X-Men have to stand for something. Is that not also true of the Sailor Senshi?"

"And he keeps coming back, again and again, making your goal of harmony between humans and mutants a pipe dream," spat Uranus. "Maybe you X-Men aren't willing to see this through, but I won't let him come after the Sailor Senshi again."

"Don't any other Sailor Senshi get a say in this?" asked Venus delicately.

"Yeah, as much as I despise Magneto for what he's done, I'd rather him repent and understand how wrong he's been, not kill him in cold blood," added Mercury. "We pleaded with Naru to not kill Kizachi out of revenge. Now it's our turn."

"I don't want him dead, either," said Naru. "There's... been enough suffering as is."

"Can we risk it?" Uranus protested, letting Magneto drop back down. "What if it was Queen Beryl who survived by the skin of her teeth after a dousing from the Ginzuishou? Would we just let her go?"

Magneto snorted with amusement. "I'm not sure whether to be flattered or offended by that comparison."

"Well Magneto, you _DID_ stir up resentment, aiming to build an army to satiate your lust for power, and a need to conquer," spat Luna.

"No, Luna. He did it because he sees no other way for mutants to be safe. Because he's lost hope," said Sailor Moon. She narrowed her eyes at Magneto when he turned to meet her gaze. "I'll admit it, Magneto, because of you and Kizachi, I came close to losing hope myself. But I had friends to help me through that, to convince me that there was still reason to hope, to keep working toward a peaceful world. Charles Xavier has always tried to be that sort of friend to you, and for a while you listened. Why did you go back? What's it gotten you, Magneto?"

"Sailor Moon makes a good point, old friend," said Xavier. Magneto finally looked a little chastised as Xavier walked up. "For so long Erik, you've believed that only force and overwhelming might can secure a future for our kind, that humans and mutants have no hope of coexisting. Yet Sailor Moon thwarted all your designs for Japan with more than just the raw power of a Sailor Senshi. And because she refused to give up hope for Naru Osaka, she changed her heart. And she turned the tide against both you and Kizachi's Mastermold."

Magneto looked up at them from the floor, still looking crushed and defeated, and took a long moment to consider his answer. And were those tears? Did he still care enough about Xavier, that he couldn't bear this sort of confrontation? "Oh Charles, still the optimist, and you've certainly found yourself in good company with the Moon Princess," he said airily. "You know the answer, Charles. You choose to remain hopeful, while I saw humanity at its absolute worst, and little has changed. As the Nazis themselves said, appeal to national pride, find an enemy to denigrate, then accuse those refusing to go along of being soft on national security. It works in every country, they said. It didn't take much for Erina Kizachi to make it work in Japan, now did it?"

"And because Sailor Moon refused to stand back and let Japan tear itself apart, things didn't go as you planned, Erik," said Xavier. "And now, just as humans have seen the X-Men fight other mutants aiming to do them harm, our fellow mutants have seen humans stand up for them in a way previously unimaginable."

"Yes, Charles, little surprise you choose to see that turn of events as encouraging. But do you think it can last? That that sentiment will truly spread?" Magneto looked past him, to where Naru was standing. "And you, Naru Osaka. You say you'll never join me. Seeing you in that uniform... Perhaps you're right not to. I wasn't much of a leader to the New Mutants, made terrible mistakes... But please tell me, do you honestly believe in what that uniform represents? You've seen humanity at its ugliest, as I have. Will you be happy, risking your life day in and day out for a cause that will often seem hopeless?"

Naru looked stricken by Magneto's question. Her lip quivered, as if Magneto had broken through at last. But then she cast an anxious sideways glance at Sailor Moon. "Maybe not, Magneto, but since learning the truth about Sailor Moon, I already know being a superhero isn't fun and games. And sometimes it'll seem hopeless, but... It's what my mother hoped I would do. I dishonored her memory enough by losing my head after losing her, and tried to run from everything. If I have make a stand, it'll be here, and..."

There was a loud crack and a bright flash, making many of the Senshi and X-Men recoil and gasp. Sailor Moon shivered when she saw Exodus standing beside Magneto, eyes blazing with hatred. A moment later, green mist appeared out of nowhere, swirling and coalescing into a human shape. Amelia Voght eyed them with contempt as well.

"You told me not to butt in, but... Just give the word, Magneto," snarled Voght. "I'll dump this lot into space like I should've done from the start!"

"Assuming I don't vaporize them all first!" added Exodus.

"Oh hey Paris!" beamed Shadowcat, undaunted. "How's your head?"

Exodus glowered at Shadowcat. "Please, Lord Magneto, give the word, so I can..."

Magneto had slowly risen to one knee, and held up a hand to silence him. "No, Exodus. This fight is over." Voght looked down to him, gaping, while Exodus looked ready to protest. Magneto went on, cutting both of them off. "I've recovered just enough to sense that Asteroid M is breaking apart. Sailor Moon unleashing the Ginzuishou's power, and the destruction of some of the heavy machinery here, had greater repercussions than we first thought. A chain reaction has begun. I can keep it together just long enough so you and Voght may teleport our people to our fallback spots on Earth. I suspect many of them are in no condition to make it to escape pods, not after the Sailor Senshi got through with them."

Exodus was silent for a moment, looking from Magneto to Sailor Moon and back. "And the Sailor Senshi and X-Men? What of them?"

"We let Cable and Eclipse get them back on their plane, and leave," said Magneto. "The Sailor Senshi came to reclaim their friend, first and foremost. To the victors go the spoils."

"A gracious concession, Magneto," said Beast. "But if this is in the hopes of salvaging something from this fiasco... I do hope you are not counting on Erina Kizachi's continued aid, since Wolverine sniffed out where you stuffed her." Magneto looked up just as some Senshi and X-Men stepped out of the way, to reveal Beast standing over a defeated-looking Kizachi.

"Oh, and if you were counting on salvaging your computers, don't count on finding any data about Sentinels on them," Umino added.

For a moment, it looked like Magneto would lash out in anger, as hopeless as that would be. But in the end, he saw reason. Magneto sighed in defeat, and said, "Very well. Sailor Moon, Charles, your victory over me could not be more complete. Over a year of planning and nothing to show for it, and it will be many months before I'm well enough for action again."

"Then hopefully Erik, in that time, you will reflect on just why you gained absolutely nothing from stirring up distrust between humanity and our kind," said Xavier.

Sailor Moon nodded. "You saw reason once Magneto, decided to work with Professor X. Think of what could've been accomplished if you kept at it. Hopefully, one day, you two can again."

"One day, perhaps," said Magneto, finally rising to his feet. "Exodus, Voght, no more dawdling. Get our people to safety." Exodus and Amelia Voght still looked mutinous, but said nothing and then vanished.

"Yes Erik, one day perhaps," said Xavier hopefully. "In any case, Ms. Osaka, I'll help you direct your teleports to the Blackbird."

It took a moment for Sailor Moon to realize that that shouldn't be possible. "Wait, Naru, Xavier can get inside your head? When did that happen?"

"When Nephrite sacrificed the little bit of his soul remaining to block Magneto's inhibitor field, which also kept my mind safe," said Naru sorrowfully.

"Ah, so that's how you broke out, and why Rem-Ram could never invade your dreams," said Magneto.

Naru glared back at him. "And made me realize what I had to do. I put on this uniform for him as much as I did for my mother." Sailor Moon didn't know what to say. What could she say, after hearing Naru had to suffer that loss all over again? Yet now, unlike Magneto, she chose to embrace hope and let go of her bitterness...

Naru grabbed onto Uranus and vanished in a plume of black fire, just as Cable used his bodyslide to get Beast and Kizachi onto the Blackbird. Just as Magneto said, nothing kept either from teleporting now. Naru kept coming back for Sailor Senshi as they could better handle her teleports than most of the X-Men, while Cable got everyone else out. While they were slowly being ferreted to the Blackbird, the low rumblings began to pick up in intensity. Even with Magneto using what he had left to keep Asteroid M together, it was fixing to break apart.

Sailor Moon, Umino and Xavier were the last to go. Magneto stared back at them as he focused on keeping Asteroid M together as long as he could. "I know what you're thinking, Charles, but I must stay," said Magneto suddenly. "Don't worry about me, old friend. I'm certain we'll see each other again in due time."

"As am I," said Xavier. "Hopefully by that time, you'll have thought long and hard about why more than this asteroid has fallen apart on you, Erik."

Magneto glared back at Xavier coldly, but nodded. Naru placed a hand on Sailor Moon's shoulder, and she looked into her friend's eyes. Still so much regret in those eyes, so much pain and shame. Sailor Moon smiled and nodded, hoping to give her some encouragement. Naru sighed, just as Cable activated his bodyslide, taking Xavier and Umino with him. And then everything, including Magneto, who kept staring at them icily, disappeared in a rush of billowing, black flames.

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This chapter is dedicated to the memory of Stan Lee. I was going to wrap the chapter last week, but news of his death killed the mood, making me tear up. Since his passing, we've been treated to reflections on his words, about how things like bigotry and hate cannot be defeated with punches and energy blasts. Hopefully, this story carried this theme in a way Stan Lee himself would've liked. X-Men was the first Marvel property of his that I got into, was what first got me into comic books. To say it had a big impact on my life would be an understatement.

So long,

Grey-X


	39. Ends and Odds

**Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse**

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 39: Ends and Odds

12-4-2018

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of the late, great Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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When the black haze cleared from Sailor Moon's vision, she found herself standing in the back of the Blackbird. Soon after rematerializing, Sailor Moon sank to one knee, that familiar feeling of mingled burning and freezing overwhelming her. A quick glance around the Blackbird told her the other Senshi still found Naru's teleports a rough ride as well.

"I really need to get the hang of that," Naru grumbled, looking them all over. She still looked so regretful and ashamed, as if helping to take down Magneto somehow didn't make up for anything.

Sailor Moon grabbed hold of a seat along the side of the Blackbird to pull herself up. She wanted to rush over to Naru, to console her, but she glimpsed something right outside a window that made her freeze.

Asteroid M was already coming apart. Huge chunks of it were slowly, but noticeably, breaking away, despite Magneto's best efforts. Small explosions were going off too, hastening its breakup. "Oh no, using the Ginzuishou and the Sailor Planet Attack did all that!?" cried Sailor Moon fearfully. "W-W-W-What if pieces of it hit Earth and kill people after all!?"

"Magneto is a... complicated one. Capable of such ruthlessness, but he does have some sense of honor," said Beast, walking up to observe Asteroid M's collapse. "Considering the condition you Sailor Senshi left him in, it's quite remarkable he was capable of slowing its breakup this much. I do not believe he will allow parts of the asteroid to strike Earth out of spite, not after conceding somewhat graciously."

"That's... good to know," said Sailor Moon. As she watched Asteroid M slowly break apart, Sailor Moon found her anger at Magneto subsiding. It was mostly replaced with regret now. He was Charles Xavier's friend once, and so much good could be accomplished if they worked together again. At least Magneto's assurance that Asteroid M's pieces wouldn't crash to Earth reminded her that there was some hope for him, however slight. She eventually helped Naru see the light. Would Magneto one day, too?

Ultimately, that was a puzzle for another day. Magneto would survive, and make his way back to Earth, but for now, she had Naru back. The other Sailor Senshi had recovered from her fiery teleportation, but Naru was noticeably standing away from them, her gaze downcast. Now that they weren't fighting for their lives, her doubts and shame all bubbled back up.

Sailor Moon started to walk over to her, but Venus spoke up first. "Naru, why so glum? You just helped us teach Magneto a lesson he'll never forget!"

"Yeah, Naru! I bet this'll teach _ALL_ of the X-Men's enemies you're the one mutant it's not smart to try and recruit!" added Mars.

"With that uniform, Rei, it's clear where you intend to go," Mercury pointed out.

"That old-school blue and yellow looks pretty good on you, Naru, if I do say so myself," said Jupiter.

Naru looked up to them, a bit of surprise mingling with the shame in her eyes. "Y-Y-You really think so?" she asked dubiously. "I-I-I-I mean, what I did to all of you at that school, the things I said... I n-n-n-never really apologized back when I had the chance..."

"Even I'm willing to concede that helping to beat back Magneto is apology enough," said Uranus.

"I agree. Despite all you've done, you've more than earned the right to wear that, if you ask me," said Neptune.

Sailor Moon was hoping this would cheer Naru up, but she still looked doubtful. "So, you think I can cut in as an X-Man?"

Iceman snorted. "Little lady, in the past week, you prove the deciding factor against Mastermold, Sabretooth, Blob, and then Magneto himself. And you _STILL_ doubt yourself!?"

"You haven't spent a day in the Danger Room, yet you pulled through enemies we would never let trainees within a hundred miles of," added Shadowcat. Lockheed, perched on her shoulder, nodded in approval. "I'm sure even Emma Frost would insist this moves you to the head of the class."

"Speaking of which, right before heading back to Japan, I took the liberty of havin' this made. Let this show we all had hope you'd see the light," said Gambit. He walked up to Naru, handing her a box that looked like it held bulky clothes. "The blue and yellow do look good, but fashion always changes, no?" Naru looked at Gambit quizzically, then opened the box. Inside was a sleeveless, black X-Men uniform, cut for her shape.

Naru said nothing, simply staring at her uniform. Sailor Moon hoped it wasn't wishful thinking, but it was like the doubt in Naru's eyes faded. But then, she shut her eyes and sighed. "I can't accept this. At least, not yet."

"What? Naru, you heard them!" Sailor Moon protested. "The X-Men, the other Senshi, they all say you're a perfect fit!"

"Maybe I am, Usagi, and maybe they've all forgiven me," said Naru. "But I still made a mess of my life back in Japan. I... have to go back first."

"Stand trial, you mean?" asked Gambit, now sounding concerned. "It's not like some of us X-Men don't have rap sheets, Naru. We can get to back to the United States, under the radar..."

Naru shook her head. "I can't just run away. I have to remove the stain on my family's name, at least, and show the rest of the world I've really changed. Besides, you all say Ms. Walters can get me off easy, so..."

"A commendable decision, Osaka, even if we may not all agree with it," said Cable. "In the meantime, we're about to kick the engines into high gear, so I suggest everyone strap in. Especially you." Sailor Moon turned to see Cable telekinetically levitate Erina Kizachi to the chair she had used to pull herself up. The seat's restraints came out and pinned her down.

Sailor Moon stared at the bound roboticist for a moment. In the chaos caused by Magneto and his forces, she had almost forgotten about Kizachi. To think, after all the enemies the Sailor Senshi fought with the power to end the world, it was an ordinary human who came closest to undoing everything. Not only did she set out to rip out her heart, but cruelly tried to destroy the life of a friend to do it. _AND_ plunge their entire country into chaos, just to satisfy her lust for revenge before cancer consumed her.

Yet despite Kizachi's long list of unforgivable crimes, Sailor Moon decided it wasn't worth working up any hatred for her. Just like Magneto, she had such talents, but she wasted it by giving in to bitterness and grief. And while there may be hope for Magneto, Kizachi wasn't long for this world, not with cancer eating her alive. Seeing her there, looking so small and withered, Sailor Moon only felt sorrow.

Sailor Moon sat down in the seat to the left of Kizachi, who didn't even seem to notice her hated enemy was there. Naru then sat down next to Sailor Moon, albeit a bit hesitantly, and strapped herself in.

"Hey, the rest of you Sailor Senshi might wanna strap in," said Gambit. Sailor Moon looked to see most of her friends had yet to find seats.

"Why's that?" asked Neptune.

All of a sudden, the Blackbird lurched forward with such speed, the rest of the Sailor Senshi, plus the mooncats, were flung to the back of the plane. They were pinned there, as one collective heap of tangled limbs, screaming in protest and crying out in pain.

"That's why, honeybunch," muttered Rogue dryly. She was standing there beside Gambit, holding him in place.

"OWWWW!" screamed Luna. "Jupiter, get your iron asscheeks off of me!"

"And damnit, Mamoru! Get your hand off of my butt!" snapped Neptune irascibly.

"No, wait, pretty sure that's me," muttered Uranus.

Neptune's mood changed completely. "Oh, never mind then," she said with a smile. Chibi-Moon gagged a little.

Sailor Moon couldn't help but giggle a little, and was heartened to hear Naru chuckle as well. "It's... good to hear you laugh again, Naru," said Sailor Moon.

Naru's smile swiftly faded. She slowly looked to Sailor Moon, fumbling for words. "U-U-Usagi, I-I-I-I..."

"You don't have to say anything, Naru," said Sailor Moon. "What's done is done."

"I-I-I-it's just, that, w-w-w-well..." Naru went on. "I was such a coward back at the shrine. I-I-I-I should've apologized back then, but... All the things I said, all the things I did..."

"Naru, you've done more than enough to show you're truly sorry," Sailor Moon said softly. "Besides, if that's not enough for you, I knocked out a tooth if you insist on things being even."

Sailor Moon saw Naru feel the inside of her mouth with her tongue. To Sailor Moon's relief, she chuckled again. "Yeah, I guess..."

"And don't forget, for us Sailor Senshi, it's fate. It's destiny," Sailor Moon went on. "The X-Men... I guess what fascinated me about them is how they choose to do what they do, despite all the heartbreak. When I first heard about them, I knew they'd be the perfect fit. But in the end, you had to make the choice, and you did."

Naru looked down at herself, at her ruined uniform. She fumbled with the X emblem on her belt buckle, her face inscrutable.

A sudden snort from Kizachi made Sailor Moon turn her head. "So disgustingly naïve," Kizachi croaked out. "You said to Magneto his path hasn't gotten anyone anywhere. Has the X-Men's?"

She slowly turned her head. Sailor Moon withered a little as those chalky, diseased eyes met hers. They radiated a sick need for retribution that utter defeat hadn't quite squelched. Sailor Moon forced down her revulsion, narrowing her eyes. "It worked for the Sailor Senshi. Your plans to divide Japan and leave its mutants with no hope... We put a stop to that," she said evenly.

Kizachi snorted again. "And as Magneto said, how long will it last?"

"Oh, gag," said Naru suddenly. "Magneto would've gladly let me pulp your nephew, and you still side with him anyway?"

"Because he's right about how two sentient species can't share the same planet," said Kizachi coldly, still meeting Sailor Moon's gaze. "Fear and suspicion of what's different always wins out in the end, and those only out for themselves will be there to exploit it. I just made a point of playing them first, and ensuring there would be lasting peace down the road, the world my daughter deserved." She studied Sailor Moon thoughtfully for a moment. "I've observed you from afar all this time, but seeing you up close, so confident, so defiant... But you know I'm right. Think of what your future self has to do to craft everlasting peace, with the Ginzuishou. To the point where those unwilling to submit are banished. Are you and Magneto really so different, Sailor Moon? Are you..."

A gooey tendril grabbed Kizachi's head from behind, covering her mouth and pressing her head back against the seat. Sailor Moon looked back to Naru, surprised.

"Oh, she wasn't finished?" Naru asked coyly. She held up one hand, ooze flowing from it and around the back of Sailor Moon's seat. "I'm still new to this whole superhero thing, don't forget. It's... kinda hard to tell if the villain is done with a big speech or not. Anyway, I think Kizachi was done. Weren't you, Kizachi?"

Sailor Moon looked back to see Naru using her tendril to force Kizachi to nod 'yes'. Sailor Moon's frustration with Kizachi melted away, replaced with laughter once more as the Blackbird flew back into Earth's atmosphere.

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Ikuko looked up at the overcast sky, wondering when rain would finally fall. It might go a long way to cool off some seething tempers. She took a good look around, at the crowds gathered outside the courthouse. An announcement regarding Naru's case was expected soon. At least, that was what was hinted at this morning. By mid-afternoon, the news had drawn the press, along with hundreds and hundreds of people, both those who supported Naru and those who wanted her to hang. Many in the former group could be picked out by the black glop on their faces.

 _Another circus, more chances for fighting to erupt,_ Ikuko thought regretfully. It had been weeks since the Sailor Senshi and X-Men brought Naru back to Earth. Naru had still insisted on standing trial, if only to remove the blot on her family's name. Looking around at those who clearly thought she was guilty, Ikuko wondered why Naru ever thought she could get a fair trial. _You were counted among them, don't forget,_ Ikuko reminded herself.

Now, Ikuko had to face that she was wrong about the girl, and her kind as well. Of course, the thought of Magneto or his fanatical followers coming after her family still haunted her. Usagi insisted, however, that they learned that the price would be steep, and anyway, were in no condition to do so for a long, long time.

Ikuko looked down at Usagi, who stood with Chibiusa and Shingo, breathlessly waiting for something, anything, about her friend's fate. Part of her still couldn't believe it, that her little girl was really Sailor Moon. Not only that, the lengths Sailor Moon would go to. Everything from basically starting an insurrection in Japan to storming Magneto's lair in space. To think the girl who was a bit of a crybaby and had trouble making it to class on time had such convictions, such courage. Worse, there had been the fear that Usagi was leaving her behind. That she no longer needed her mother, or even thought of her as her 'real' mother.

Well, Professor Xavier told Ikuko she merely needed to be there, that having the courage to back her was key. Ikuko had to admit he was right. In her most trying time, it helped Usagi face down everything from giant killer robots to the Master of Magnetism.

And now, Usagi needed her here for emotional support. The girl with the nerve to stare down Magneto now looked ready to be undone by the waiting. Such worry over Naru, who she never gave up on. Such a big heart... How could there be any doubt she was truly Sailor Moon?

Ikuko grabbed Usagi's shoulders and pulled her close. "Mama, what's..." Usagi began.

"Just relax, Usagi," said Ikuko softly. "After all, all of the charges against the Sailor Senshi have been dropped, without a single one of you... _THEM,_ " she quickly corrected herself, "stepping into a courtroom. If this lawyer is as good at settling cases as she is punching through mountains, Naru should be fine."

Usagi smiled up at her weakly. Dread still tore at her, but she seemed a little calmer now. Professor X was right, this was what Usagi needed from her. She wasn't Queen Serenity, she had no power connected to this Moon Kingdom, but there were still things she could do.

"Kenji-papa's magazine sure helped with that," said Chibiusa. She held up a copy of said magazine, which had a picture of Naru and Magneto, both haggard and worn out from their battle, slugging it out. The headline read, " _ **ECLIPSE AIDS SAILOR SENSHI, X-MEN IN MAGNETO'S DEFEAT AND ASTEROID M'S DESTRUCTION!**_ "

Shingo's spy camera came in handy after all. Before the Inner Senshi were set to strike, Sailor Mercury used it to snap some quick photos. With those, some other pictures Ami took, and those sold to the magazine by bystanders from when Magneto attacked Naru's convoy, Kenji had everything he needed for the story he always wanted to write. And it helped immensely with swaying more people to Naru and Sailor Moon's side. Solid proof that Naru wanted nothing to do with professed evil mutants, that she sought to make amends. _But will it be enough to sway the judges Naru is facing?_ Ikuko wondered solemnly.

Chibiusa echoed those lingering worries. "Let's just hope Kenji-papa got through to any thick-headed judges in there. I... need to know things here are settled when it comes to the X-Men's enemies."

"Huh, Chibiusa? It sounds like you plan on leaving," said Shingo.

"We beat Magneto, Shingo, taught him not to come sniffing around Japan anymore," said Chibiusa. "But he's not the X-Men's only enemy. Or even their worst. There's someone who might've even been around back during the old Moon Kingdom, and may be around for mine, in the future. Cable finally told me everything, and... I've got to go back soon, Shingo. Get ready, if this En Sabah Nur tries anything."

Hearing such a serious tone from someone so young, it chilled Ikuko a little. Plus, the notion that Japan wasn't quite done with the X-Men's laundry list of supervillains... Ikuko decided the less she knew about whoever Chibiusa was talking about, the better.

"Oh, I'm sure Crystal Tokyo will be safe from Apocalypse," Usagi said brightly. Ikuko shivered. _THAT_ was his name!? Obviously, Chibiusa didn't want to use it around her, judging by the glare she gave Usagi. "After all, it's got me running the place, right?" Usagi let out a nervous laugh, but Chibiusa wouldn't stop glaring daggers at her.

"Zip it, you dummy!" snapped Shingo. "It looks like someone's coming out of the courthouse!"

Ikuko looked ahead to the courthouse entrance. They had arrived rather late, when the crowd already spilled into the street, so they were pretty far back. But Ikuko could make out her husband among all the other reporters. She felt happy for him. Stories such as these, tied to the X-Men, were what Kenji always wanted to cover. And now, he wouldn't be the only reporter refusing to put a negative spin on things.

The reporters awaited breathlessly as some figures made their way away from the courthouse doors. Ikuko had to squint, but she could make out Naru, now dressed in formal attire fitting her circumstances, her gaze downcast. She was flanked by Sunfire and She-Hulk, both recovered from the Acolytes' attack. While Jennifer Walters also had on appropriate attire, Shiro Yoshida still wore his customary red and white costume.

A few police officers and court officials followed them out, looking quite nervous. But they couldn't be anywhere near as anxious as Naru herself, or Usagi. Ikuko held onto Usagi's shoulders, practically sensing the dread radiating off of her. One of the court officials looked ready to grab the microphone on a stand set up in front of the reporters, but hesitated.

Sunfire took it upon himself to do it instead. He grabbed the microphone, and delivered the news in his usual brusque, to-the-point manner. "An agreement has been reached with the Prime Minister for a pardon, in exchange for the defendant paying restitution for all property damage, and all medical expenses for injuries she has caused. Naru Osaka is to be cleared of all charges."

More than half the crowd erupted in thunderous cheer, but it wasn't quite enough to drawn out howls of fury from those unwilling to forgive Naru. Ikuko looked around nervously, fearing that brawls would erupt. Usagi and Chibiusa looked like they were wondering if slinking away to transform would be necessary. As police moved in and called for order, even Sunfire and She-Hulk looked fearful they would have to step in.

Thankfully, the crowds soon got under control, and no slugfests started. Meanwhile, Ikuko could see reporters swamp the group. Kenji wasn't being too pushy, but others were shoving microphones in the faces of Naru and her attorney, though they had to reach high up for the latter.

"Please, my client would like some privacy after this announcement. She must get to work with the family finances to fulfill her end of the deal," Walters said forcefully. She looked dangerously close to forcing reporters back, and not being gentle about it.

Naru herself had looked timid, seemingly wanting nothing more than to teleport away. But suddenly, she cried, "I have something I'd like to say before I get to work! To the whole country..."

The reporters seemed to get the hint, and let the police officers ease them back. Naru took the microphone from Sunfire. It took a visible effort for Naru to lift her gaze toward the crowd. "Not everyone here is thrilled with the news, and I can't blame those who aren't. A pardon can't erase the shame I still feel like it can the charges, nor can paying restitution to those I've hurt erase the pain I caused, and get back the lost time. That's why... I can't stay in Japan."

That seemed to get everyone's attention, even those who still believed her to be guilty as sin. "I may have helped beat back Magneto and was pardoned, but I obviously still have a long way to go before I can truly be trusted again," Naru went on. "The people of Japan already got the Sailor Senshi, and they've got Sunfire. Hopefully one day, I'll have the honor of being counted among them, but for now... There was something my mother hoped I would do, but it involves leaving the country... For those who already forgave me, maybe one day you'll see me here again, and I'll have earned back the trust of everyone else. Thank you."

And with that, Naru handed back the mic, and teleported away, which made even Sunfire jump. She left the crowd in a confused state, using that power openly, but Ikuko could sense her daughter's relief. Usagi even looked ready to shed tears of joy.

Ikuko felt a bit of relief, too. She couldn't quite forget what Naru did, the terror she felt while in her grip. But after hearing the sincerity in Naru's voice, and her genuine sorrow over the prospect of leaving Japan, Ikuko found herself letting go of her own lingering doubts. Charles Xavier espoused how people, human and mutant alike, had to set aside doubts which shackled them to a tumultuous past, and work toward a brighter future.

And now, despite Chibiusa's grumblings about trouble in her future, despite the rancor of those unwilling to forgive Naru just yet, Ikuko felt more confident than ever their future could be bright indeed.

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All these weeks since coming back from Asteroid M, Usagi had been on pins and needles, worried sick over what would happen to Naru. Naru trusted Walters, and after her father's magazine got the story out, Walters was confident swaying public opinion would give her leverage to negotiate a deal. Still, as hopeful as Usagi had been, some doubt still lingered. The way so many still clung to their fears and prejudices was cause for concern. But when Sunfire announced Naru would go free... Words couldn't describe the relief.

At last, it was over. Naru was out of legal jeopardy, plenty of people in Japan were willing to give her a chance, and most important, Naru's faith in humanity was being restored. Magneto and Erina Kizachi did their best to break Naru down, but they failed. Magneto lost Asteroid M and wouldn't be bothering humanity for quite a while. And while Naru was cleared of all charges, Erina Kizachi's stuck. Minako's old buddies in Interpol, and Xavier's in S.H.I.E.L.D., made sure of that.

Usagi wasn't sure how she felt about that. Learning that there had been a casualty that day in Juban Odyssey tore at her heart. And despite all the pain and suffering Kizachi caused in her mad pursuit of what she saw as balancing the scales, Usagi empathized with her loss. How couldn't she, after seeing the rest of the Inner Senshi 'die' in front of her, trying to save lives? That, plus learning her nephew was slaughtered by Sabretooth in front of her, ultimately made Usagi pity her rather than hate her. Like her daughter, Kizachi could've done so much good, but instead sought to tear down to avenge Erika before cancer did her in.

 _I wonder what her daughter was like. Kizachi said she was a lot like me. What was her mutant power?_ Usagi mused silently. But this wasn't really the time nor place for such thoughts. This party being thrown at Edwards's manor was a celebration of their victory over Erina Kizachi.

Usagi looked up from where she had been loading up her plate, before mulling over Kizachi's sad fate. Just like that first night when people flocked here to see Sailor Moon, quite a crowd had been drawn. This time, to celebrate victory rather than plot an insurgency.

Up on the stage, Michiru was playing a soothing melody on her violin, ever the picturesque image of a lady. But instead of Haruka, another was up on stage singing, a much younger girl. Squinting, Usagi realized it was that Tomoyo Daidouji, the girl whose mother owned the skyscraper under construction, where the mutant refugees were hidden. From what Usagi heard from the Amazoness Quartet, she seemed to know that costumed girl who kaiju-ized herself with magical cards to stomp Sentinels.

On top of that... Was that a big panda right next to the stage? There was a giddy look on his face, almost as if there was a sapient mind behind it. No, there definitely was. The panda was guffawing and grinning as he danced and belly-bumped with someone _HUGE_. A big, horned, portly guy, wearing a yellow suit with tiger-stripes. The father of Lum Invader, perhaps? Lum must have invited family to the celebration, and he was living it up with the rest.

So many people here, sharing in the sense of triumph. _Shouldn't I be able to put aside my doubts for a while and live it up, too?_ Usagi wondered. Then she turned back to the food. _Oh well, might as well stuff my face,_ she decided with a grin, going right back to filling her plate.

Once she was done, Usagi navigated her way back through the crowd. She steered clear of the spot where couples were dancing. She caught a glimpse of Lum Invader dancing with that brown-haired boy she often clung to. He looked flustered, but didn't exactly seem to hate it. Also looking anxious and flustered was Ryoga, who Storm said helped take on Sentinels over at the Ryuuzaki mansion. He was dancing with that purple-haired Chinese girl, the one Chibiusa said couldn't speak Japanese to save her life.

One of the tables Usagi passed... She instantly recognized one of the voices. Hikaru, who fangirled harder over Sailor Moon than anyone in recent memory. Usagi turned to see those three Magic Knights seated at a table with the ones Michiru said called themselves 'Spirit Detectives'.

"So where's Sailor Moon now, now that the job's done?" asked the boy with slicked-back hair. Yusuku Urameshi, if she remembered right. "Shouldn't she be celebratin' with the rest of us?"

"I don't think she's the type who would be knocking back beers with you, if that's what you're suggesting," said the boy with long, red hair. Usagi shuddered, remembering the time she accidentally got drunk in this very place.

"Still, there's things I'd like to ask her. Like where we go from here?" said Yusuke. "Sailor Senshi, Magic Knights, Spirit Detectives... Do we just go our separate ways? Magneto may be back someday, and there's still plenty of suckers distrustful of mutants who can be played."

"I believe Mr. Urameshi raises a valid point," said Fuu. "This tragedy has brought all of us together. What could we accomplish if we all stayed in touch from this point on?"

Usagi scooted away before any of them noticed her listening in. New questions went through her head now. Was Fuu onto something? She remembered Dr. McCoy telling her about how the Avengers originally got together, because of Loki. Now Erina Kizachi's machinations brought the Sailor Senshi together with so many other super-people in Japan. Was an alliance between all of them in order?

"Even more questions with no ready answers," Usagi grumbled under her breath as she finally got back to her table. Minako, Rei, Haruka and Ami were sitting there, with Artemis nestled in Minako's lap. Usagi caught telltale hints that some things still weighed on them, but were doing a better job of losing themselves in this party's joyous atmosphere.

"Michiru and that girl make quite a lovely duo on stage," Ami commented, looking over to the performing pair.

"If you say so," said Haruka, glaring over in that direction. Usagi chuckled a little. Leave it to Haruka to be jealous of _ANYONE_ spending time with Michiru instead of her. But then she noticed Haruka casting furtive glances over at that big oni guy, along with a woman in a yellow tiger-stripe dress close by, who had to be his wife.

"Oh, lighten up, Haruka," scoffed Usagi. "Both of us know that if Lum's OK, her family should be welcome, too."

"Her and that UFO were a big help against the Sentinels," Ami added. "Sometimes, you take allies where you can get them. I mean, look over there, next to Mr. Edwards. He's usually a thorn in the side of heroes back in the United States. But when it comes to the X-Men's cause, we've seen him do a world of good."

Usagi looked around while stuffing her face, and then saw Edwards speaking with some older American weird a weird, flat-top cut. She recognized his picture from the staff listing in those Daily Bugle papers. Perhaps an invited guest of Edwards's, since he took Naru's side, from what some of the other Senshi said.

There were some people sticking close to him. A smiling elderly lady, along with a much younger girl, with fiery red hair done up in a bun, wearing a metallic red cheongsam. _Wrong country,_ Usagi mused, then she noticed the guy standing next to her. Her boyfriend no doubt, the way one arm was slung around his shoulders. He kept taking pictures of the partying crowd. He looked so unassuming, yet something told Usagi there was a lot more to that guy.

There was also a quite confident-looking man in a sharp suit standing close to that Daily Bugle crowd. Like that photographer, Usagi got the sense there was more to him, but couldn't put her finger on it. "Who's that guy?" Usagi thought aloud.

Ami looked over to him and immediately facepalmed. "You've _USED_ his inventions now, and you _STILL_ don't know who Tony Stark is?" Ami huffed.

"Yeah, you meathead, better keep up with the movers and shakers over in the West," added Rei. "Something tells me a lot more of their problems will be spilling over into our midst."

"Well, at least we've got Naru as a liaison with the X-Men now," said Minako. "So happy for the girl, that she made the right choice..."

"Still, having Eclipse as a wild card in our deck would've been nice," said Rei.

"Rei, it's what's best for Naru, they understand what she's gone through! Show some support! I know I am!" With that, Minako unzipped her jacket, to reveal she was wearing a t-shirt with the emblem of Xavier Institute emblazoned on it.

"Oh come on, Minako, have some respect for the home team," grumbled Rei. "Yeah, we're all friends now, but you don't have to be a walking advertisement for them."

"Oh please, Rei. The Blackbird was loaded with swag like this. The X-Men must hand this stuff out for free wherever they go," Minako protested.

"Besides, if you think this is bad, she jacked one of Kitty's uniforms when she rode Haruka's dirtbike for some crazy stunt riding, to use as a motorcycle jumpsuit," added Artemis.

Haruka looked to Artemis, then up at Minako. Minako didn't notice, as she was too busy glaring at Artemis. "Pictures or it didn't happen, cat."

"Funny you mention that. They're right here," said Artemis. He reached into Minako's jacket and pulled out a stack of photographs between two digits. He threw them down onto the table. Indeed, they showed Minako wearing a black X-Men uniform while doing crazy and dangerous stunts on Haruka's dirtbike. "I'd have taken more, but Lockheed was asking for it, and..."

Artemis stopped upon seeing Minako glare daggers down at him. Rage boiling to the surface, mirrored by Haruka, now that she knew there was no way her dirtbike would have come out unscathed.

"Why you little!" Minako roared, trying to grab Artemis. He was too swift, jumping down and making a break for it across the room.

"Why you little!" echoed Haruka, who took off after Minako after she started chasing Artemis.

Usagi, Rei and Ami watched the three of them cut a path across the party, through the crowd of couples dancing. Both Lum and Ryoga were pushed aside, and they watched them run by, flummoxed. Michiru didn't miss a beat, but Usagi saw her shake her head a little as she kept playing. "Then again, it looks like there's still some trust issues within _OUR_ team," said Rei dejectedly.

"Oh well, sometimes friendships aren't easy, but they're worth the trouble. Usually," added Ami.

Usagi nodded, stifling a giggle. She wondered just how long the chase would go on, and looked around to see if the three had looped around yet. That was when she saw the guest of honor, Naru herself, over at another table. She looked quite lonely, even though she sat at a table next to Umino, along with Professor Xavier, McCoy and Kitty. The three of them had flown back to Japan almost as soon as the X-Men got word on her pardon.

Minako was right about how the X-Men were the best fit for Naru. It was what Usagi knew in her heart, from the moment her father first told her about them. Still, that was no reason for an old friend to not be there whenever possible. Kizachi's whole scheme was made possible because of how Usagi let the two of them drift apart, and now an ocean would soon separate them. Deciding that stuffing her gut could wait a bit, Usagi got up to walk over to their table.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Naru absentmindedly poked at her food with her chopsticks for a moment. _Where I'm going, chopsticks won't be handed out just anywhere,_ Naru mused. The weeks she stayed in custody seemed to drag on forever, but now her name was cleared, more or less. It was actually going to happen. She would be part of a superhero team, just not the one she wanted to in simpler times.

Things had changed. Naru learned that having superpowers wasn't always fun and games. Sometimes, it was still a challenge, holding something as simple as chopsticks without grinding them into dust. Not to mention, disillusionment set in about superheroes for a time, and Naru was so wrapped up in her own troubles, dedicating her life to helping others seemed a pipe dream.

In a way, it still was. Her mother, a casualty of Erina Kizachi's chess game. At the memorial she was allowed to attend before she got her pardon, she cut loose with the tears and bawling again. Plus, the wounds from Nephrite's death ripped open again. All that, coupled with getting a firsthand taste with what life as an X-Man was like on Asteroid M, left some doubt within Naru.

 _But it's what my mother hoped I would do, and Nephrite probably would too. He wanted to make sure our mutant gene for darkness wasn't abused,_ Naru reminded herself. _For them, I'll do it_. And for the people who reached out to her when all she wanted to do was lash out in rage. She turned to Umino. "Hey Umino, just what d'you think your..."

Umino didn't hear her, as he was too busy chatting with Kitty and Dr. McCoy. More like he was bragging about his part in that misadventure on Asteroid M. "So I knew what I had to do, whip up that virus. Of course, I found myself staring down that mountain of muscle and crazy, Frenzy..."

"I am all too familiar with how that is a dubious pleasure," said McCoy.

 _More like you were screaming like a little girl until I got Frenzy off your back,_ Naru shot back silently. But she let Umino have his moment of glory. Magneto must have recovered the data cores. Without Umino, there'd be another army of Kizachi Sentinels. McCoy and Kitty looked impressed with the tale Umino wove about his mad computing skills. If Naru hadn't known Kitty was a computer wiz herself, and already had an eye for that mountain of Russian beefcake, she'd be a little jealous.

Naru looked down to her food again, poking it, then looked out to the crowd. Everyone partying it up and having a good time. Celebrating a victory culminated by Naru's pardon, not to mention how all the young mutants they were protecting had their charges dropped outright. And yet, Naru still felt isolated, like she didn't deserve this after everything she did. Another reason it was best to go to America after all.

"Penny for your thoughts, Ms. Osaka?" Xavier suddenly asked.

Naru looked up, not sure how to answer. "Just... still feeling jittery. After everything that's happened, this is a big deal, up and going to another country. And I look at this crowd and just wonder... Is there really reason to celebrate?"

"What would make you think that?" asked Xavier. "These people are rejoicing because they believed in you, and you showed their trust was well-placed."

"Maybe, but I still feel it'll take a few more years of world-saving to completely erase the stain," said Naru. "And isn't this a premature celebration? Not everyone in Japan loves me, or mutants in general. All the other mutants that got hounded had their records cleared too, but so what? That sort of hate and distrust can be played on again. Seeds were planted, and I don't think Magneto's the type to just give up on them."

"That sort of evil can never truly be stamped out. The best we can do is remain vigilant in the face of it. That's what the X-Men were brought together for, and why the Sailor Senshi exist," said Xavier. "As for being brought down by how the tide hasn't been completely turned back here in Japan... If anything, I see what happened as a reason for hope, not despair."

"That's what you keep telling Usagi," said Naru.

"And it's true," said Xavier simply. "What she did for mutantkind here in Japan... I've never seen anything quite like it. It's given my X-Men and I reason to be optimistic, just when things looked hopeless. I thought that would be evident."

"Evident? How?" asked Naru.

"Look at the costumes the X-Men wear these days," said Xavier. "First it was the blue and yellow uniforms, then individual colorful costumes. But now we've gone the practical route with the black suits that let us blend into the darkness as Nightcrawler does. But perhaps it wasn't all about pragmatism. Perhaps it was a reflection of our own hearts, this dread that we weren't making a difference. You and Sailor Moon proved otherwise."

Naru smiled weakly. Indeed, they were all lucky that Usagi came into their lives. But now, just when things were patched up between them, she had to leave Japan for the foreseeable future. "Well, I'll be helping you make a difference from here on in," said Naru, trying to sound upbeat. "Not like I have much of a choice. Paying restitution will blow through a good deal of what Mama left me. In a couple days, it should be complete. The stocks and other assets covered most of it, but I'll have to sell others things, like the OSA-P itself..."

"Y'know, that's gonna be one of the hardest things to get over," came Usagi's voice suddenly. Naru looked up as she took a seat between her and Xavier. "The place we would often go right after school, talk about how Ms. Haruna was being a hardass again or some cute guy we saw. Ah, the simpler times..."

It was Usagi's clumsy attempt to make her feel better, but strangely, it was working. A bit of reminiscing about the old days, the times they shared. That carefree innocence was lost though, places like the OSA-P would be lost. But they shared bonds over other things now, and these were perhaps stronger.

"But hey, I've seen where you'll be staying instead, remember? And I'm actually super-jealous still," Usagi went on. "And to think, you won't be that far from New York City! Oh, you've got to take pictures over there and send them back, and _DEFINITELY_ tell me what the food is like!"

Again, Naru smiled weakly. To think that someone who teleported into space to clobber bad guys more than once would be so excited about another city, but that was Usagi for you. "Well, sure Usagi, no problem. That is, assuming I dare show my face in New York..."

"We have image inducers, if that concerns you," said Xavier. "Also, if you're anxious about using your real name while out in public, Nick Fury was kind enough to procure false identification for you. In fact, I have it here." He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small envelope.

Naru took it and opened it, curious. Inside were forged documents, such as a birth certificate, along with a fake driver's license. She looked over the name on it and grimaced. "Molly Baker? What kind of a stupid alias is that!?"

Usagi snorted. "I don't know, it kind of fits," she said, giggling. "Oh yeah, since you'll be spending time in New York, go on, try to whip up one of those weird New Yorker accents."

Naru glared daggers at her. "Oh I'm sorry, am I now sprouting orange rocks out of my skin on top of everything else!?" she spat back.

McCoy decided to chime in. "Come to think of it, Ms. Osaka, perhaps the distinctive accents of some New Yorkers are the most analogous things in the United States to the Kanzai dialect of Japan's Osaka region, and..."

"Oh zip it you blue fuzzbucket, you're not helping!" snapped Naru.

"Alright alright, you don't have to blow up over this, we'll drop it!" said Usagi quickly, but sincerely. But then she muttered under her breath, "Phhhhht, Molly Baker..."

A bit of that desire to pound Usagi's face was creeping back. Thankfully, others came up to their table just then, two of the men from America who had stuck close to that Edwards fellow. The older one, the one in the sharp suit, seemed more interested in McCoy though. Judging by how mesmerized Umino was by his presence, Naru had a good idea who it was.

"Hey Hank, just couldn't stay away from Japan, huh?" he asked in English, placing a hand on his shoulder. Naru could mostly follow, even though Xavier had yet to give her that telepathic crash course in the language. Perhaps she could persuade him to give one to Usagi instead?

"What can I say, Tony? Some recruitment efforts take longer than others, and besides, the food is quite delectable," replied McCoy.

"So I take it the... designs I lent you helped out?" Stark asked delicately.

"I don't know Mr. Stark, you tell me," Naru said abruptly in English. She pulled up her upper lip and turned her head, showing where she had lost a tooth. Usagi tried to disappear into her chair, looking quite flustered.

Stark looked a bit taken aback as well. "Oooooh, I read you," he said at length. "Tell you what, kiddo. Once you're stateside, I can hook you up with people that can do convincing implants..."

Naru still glared at Stark, but then she noticed that other guy was looking at them expectantly, holding up a camera. "May I?" he asked anxiously. Naru shrugged her shoulders, and he got a good shot of her, Usagi and Umino together. She remembered when it was just the three of them, before Usagi awakened as Sailor Moon, and then the other Senshi entered their lives. But now something entirely different awakened in Naru, leading her and Umino on a different path. "Thanks Ms. Osaka. Hopefully, I'll get plenty more shots once you're over in America."

Naru stared at him quizzically. "What do you mean by that?"

The man just smiled. "Let's just say I've got experience snapping people who swing around on sticky threads and can climb walls," he said aloofly.

Naru figured she understood what he was being cryptic about, but still stared at him curiously. Usagi looked a little suspicious of him, too. He didn't seem to mind, and simply wandered off to snap photos elsewhere, while Stark hung around to chat with McCoy a little longer.

Naru eyed Stark suspiciously as well when he finally left. "Wow, life over in America might be even more complicated than I thought," she said at length.

"You'll do fine," Usagi said reassuringly, slinging an arm around her shoulders. "Besides, you've got a _SCHOOL_ to teach you all about superheroing. All I had for a long time was a nag of a talking cat, then a brainiac who I couldn't understand half the time and a hothead priestess riding my ass."

Naru smiled weakly. It wasn't the most reassuring pep talk ever, but Usagi always had a way of instilling optimism. Naru felt her dread subside somewhat...

And then she heard a cat mewling. Naru looked to see Artemis dart past their table. Followed by Minako and then Haruka, both looking mad as hell, nearly knocking them out of their chairs. Once the girls got their balance back, Naru looked to Usagi. "The dirtbike?" Naru asked sheepishly.

Usagi sighed, then said, "The dirtbike."

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It had taken several more days before all of Naru's affairs were in order back in Japan. Mostly, she had to pile up enough money with what she inherited. Selling off assets, including the OSA-P, the family business and her home. But at last, everything was paid off, in accordance with the deal for her pardon. And then, Naru Osaka and Gerio Umino quietly disappeared from Japan, as if they vanished into thin air.

Or rather, hid themselves in plain sight as they boarded a flight to the United States, thanks to image inducers supplied by Professor Xavier. Not to mention, his telepathy got them through all security checkpoints with no one the wiser. Oddly enough, Dr. McCoy didn't bother with any trickery. There were plenty in Japan still distrustful of mutants, but Naru figured no one would soon dare accost someone so close to Sailor Moon. Or someone who helped ensure Magneto wouldn't menace Japan for a long time. There were plenty in Japan right now who wouldn't look kindly upon that.

All throughout the long, torturous flight across the Pacific Ocean, Naru couldn't help but dwell on how much faster it might've been if they took the Blackbird. C'mon, that thing was powerful enough to go _IN SPACE_! Or hell, just have someone like Rogue fly her across the ocean. After all, her man Remy survived such a trip.

Of course, even if they had taken a quicker means of transportation, it might've done next to nothing about the jet lag. Amazing how her body could take poundings from Blob and Sabretooth, but something like that could still prove deleterious.

It messed with her head badly enough that it was difficult to concentrate after their plane landed in John F. Kennedy Airport. A lot of things about New York City were surprisingly similar to Tokyo, yet in many other ways very different. Not the least of which was driving on the right side of the road. That weirdness, coupled with the jet lag, made it hard to appreciate and take in the sights. Xavier had their van waiting in parking for their arrival. Naru sat in the middle row with Umino and Professor Xavier, just blankly staring out the window for most of the ride. This was the big city closest to her new home now, and it was all so overwhelming. And to think, they hadn't even gone through Manhattan!

 _Hopefully I'll be able to appreciate Manhattan first on the ground, not swinging between buildings on oily tendrils to chase bad guys, like that Bugle photographer hinted at,_ Naru had thought to herself as Kitty drove them further away from the city, towards Westchester. She looked down at the copy of the Daily Bugle she picked up after landing. On the cover, unsurprisingly, was Spider-Man fighting some really weird bad guys. _OK, a dinosaur in a lab coat, and some old guy in a bird costume?_ she mused. _Then again, I'll probably end up fighting plenty weirder than this..._

Naru flipped through the paper, finally finding the photo that guy took of her, Umino and Usagi. She stared at the photo for a moment. _Heh, if Usagi flew here with us, she'd be going bonkers taking in New York City, jet lag be damned._

She found herself missing Usagi already. Despite how humble she sounded when talking about her early days as Sailor Moon, Naru still wished she'd be around to help with her training. As she read through the segment about her, Naru wondered how the people of America would feel, knowing Eclipse was now among them. Could she ever earn the same trust here that Sailor Moon did back home?

"Naru, you OK?" asked Umino suddenly. He was sitting between her and Xavier. Naru looked up from her paper, seeing the amazement in the eyes behind those thick glasses. Jet lag wasn't exactly hindering him, either.

"Just wondering how Haruka would've handled driving through this city," Naru lied. "I mean, the traffic was way worse than in Tokyo in some spots."

"Plus, it would've been a pain in her car," said Umino. "By the way, she didn't want you to know, but... She said the transmission sticks now and then after you drove it..."

Naru snorted. She didn't need a reminder of her past antics. "Then why didn't you volunteer to fix it? I would've held it up so you could..."

Naru stopped when she looked ahead. At last, it looked like they had arrived. The van was approaching a beautiful, pristine mansion, even more wondrous than Usagi had described. The lush grounds seemed to stretch out forever, and it had such a serene atmosphere. To think, underneath that mansion was a place meant for training for war, and carrying one out.

Xavier had told her one reason he decided against bringing them in the Blackbird was so the lower levels wouldn't be the first thing she saw. He wanted their first impression of the school to be a place of peace, a refuge, not that they were soldiers in a war. As she gazed upon the mansion as the van drew closer, Naru had to admit it was having the intended effect.

Kitty parked the van right in front of the mansion. After hesitating a moment, Naru got out to fetch Xavier's plastic wheelchair from the back, then helped him into it. When she was done, a shadow passed over her. The brief glimpse she got of it... Someone with wings? Like the weirdo Spider-Man was fighting? No, the jet lag must be playing tricks on her still.

"Gerio Umino, Naru Osaka, welcome to the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning!" McCoy said proudly.

"There's a tagline that goes with such an introduction, but... We'll skip it this time," Kitty added.

Umino stared up in wonder at the mansion. If he was feeling jittery about being perhaps the only normal human here, he wasn't showing it. "It's... Words fail me, Kitty," he said at length. Meanwhile, Naru fetched all their luggage. With her strength and oily tendrils, it was a simple matter to securely sling it all over her shoulders.

McCoy was already wheeling Xavier up one of the ramps along the side of the main entrance, while Kitty and Umino went up the front steps. Naru was about to follow them, but then something dropped down. Or rather, someone! Someone with wings! Not like those ugly, mechanical things that old guy in the paper sported, but fluffy, white wings! Like those of an...

"A-A-A-Angel!?" Naru spluttered. She almost dropped all the luggage, despite the tendrils wrapped around them.

"Saw the van coming in while on my morning flight, so I decided to come welcome our newest arrivals!" Angel said warmly. He had on his black X-Men uniform, but as Naru stared up at him, she saw that wasn't the only difference from the footage she saw of him.

"T-T-T-Thank you, Mr. Worthington. And... Uhhh, b-b-b-blue skin?" Naru asked timidly. "B-B-But, when I saw that recording of you from Washington D.C., your skin looked normal..."

There was a crackling sound from behind her, along with a pungent odor. Naru looked over her shoulder, and this time dropped all the luggage. A blue-furred demon thing emerged from a puff of smoke. He also wore a black uniform, though shoulder pauldrons protruded from his.

"And what, pray tell, is wrong with being blue?" asked the new arrival coyly. Naru remembered who this was too: Kurt Wagner, the acrobatic teleporter Nightcrawler. "My apologies for startling you, fräulein. After all, it's always nice to have another teleporter among us." With that, Nightcrawler took her hand and kissed it softly. Naru just let him, too startled to do otherwise, simply hoping Umino wasn't getting the wrong idea.

"C'mon, fuzzy elf, give Naru a chance to catch her breath," Kitty scolded. "Their orientation'll be soon enough, no need to spook Naru before then."

"No, Kitty, it's OK, they're fine," Naru said quickly as she used her tendrils to scoop the luggage back up. "I mean, after having Sabretooth breathing down my neck, it'll take more to spook me."

"That's the spirit, Ms. Osaka," said Angel. "And since Hank and the others are probably a bit worn out from the flight, why don't Kurt and I give you two the preliminary tour?"

"I'd... like that, thanks," said Naru anxiously as the three of the them went up the steps. This country, and this school, would take a lot of getting used to.

But as Naru looked up at the mansion, and then peered through the front doors, she oddly felt like she was coming home.

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And there you go, the hopefully satisfying conclusion! The Sailor Senshi and X-Men stand triumphant, and Naru made the right choice in the end! There's not much more I want to say right now. After putting this idea together for over a decade, and then taking two years writing it, and the world tragically losing Stan Lee as it was winding down, I'm spent. But thank you to all those who stuck with this and read this far.

But we're not quite done yet! There's a short epilogue coming up! There's a plot thread or two that haven't gotten resolved yet and... I'll say this for now: the very last word of the epilogue will drop like Mjolnir on a watermelon. So stay tuned!

So long,

Grey-X


	40. Epilogue

**Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse**

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Epilogue

12-9-2018

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of the late, great Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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The examination table felt surprisingly chilly, as did the whole infirmary. It all had a cold, sterile air to it. Of course, that was kind of the point, but it still unnerved Naru a little, and it was quite unwelcome on a day like today.

 _The professor was righter than he knew, then, not letting the mansion's lower levels be the first thing I saw,_ Naru realized. She warily watched the X-Men's chief physician look over the results of her exam. All she could do was sit on that examination table, able to feel the metal parts that weren't covered, given she only had on a white sports bra and cotton panties. A little cold could still easily affect her. Perhaps it was for the best, a reminder that she was not invincible. As if that lesson wasn't about to be drilled into her.

"Well, your physiology is a bit unique, even when compared to fellow mutants with enhanced strength and durability," said the doctor, looking from printed readouts to some screens and back.

She turned to eye Naru up and down, long dreadlocks swinging as she did so. Unlike McCoy, who was usually warm and friendly, Dr. Cecilia Reyes had this air of reluctance, as if she felt she didn't belong here.

"But as far as I can tell, Ms. Osaka, you are in excellent health, and ready to begin." That hint of reluctance in her voice again, knowing she was cutting Naru loose to go get beaten within a millimeter of her life one day. And she would have to stitch her back together. "Granted, with invulnerable mutants like you, hands-on examination techniques can't tell me as much as I'd like." Naru couldn't help but snort a little. Dr. Reyes raised an eyebrow quizzically. "Is something funny?"

Naru still couldn't suppress a smile, and she wasn't sure why. "It's nothing, really. It's just... The last time a dark-skinned mutant with dreadlocks got her hands of me, she was trying to break every bone in my body."

Reyes smirked, but it was a humorless smirk. "Ah yes, I've heard of Joanna Cargill..." she grumbled. "At any rate, I can find no trace of any potential debilitating, lingering harm from that encounter, or whatever else you ran into up on that rock. You're no Wolverine, but you still seem to recover in short order. Even some of those older wounds are fading."

Reyes eyed Naru's belly. Naru looked down, noticing how the scar Usagi left with her tiara had almost disappeared completely. Not to mention, there was no sign Wolverine ever gave her intestines a hot adamantium injection. The former scar had lingered for quite some time, but only now was it fading fast. Was it because she had finally let go of all her anger toward her old friend, stopped blaming her? Or maybe all the anger she held onto period?

Naru sprang off the examination table just as Reyes walked up, holding the folded-up uniform Remy initially brought to Japan. "So, for better or worse Ms. Osaka, you are hereby declared fit for duty," said Reyes. She tapped Naru's right shoulder with her other hand, then her left shoulder, then her right again. "Congratulations, you're an X-Man. Now try not to wind up right back on my examination table, will you?"

"Uh, yeah, sure thing," said Naru anxiously. She took the uniform after a moment's hesitation, then started putting it on.

"Well, how does it feel?" asked Reyes.

Naru looked down at herself as she finished zipping it up, and tried to flex her legs. "It's a little hard to move in," she said sheepishly. "It feels like I'll rip it to shreds if I try moving too fast."

"Yeah, I hear that a lot," Reyes said aloofly. "It'll loosen up in time. Especially considering where you're supposed to report to."

"Don't remind me," Naru grumbled. "Thank you, Dr. Reyes," she said as she headed for the exit. The metal double doors slid open, leading out to a hallway that felt just as cold and sterile as the infirmary. It was such a stark contrast to the splendor of the school above. How did the X-Men stand coming down here? _Oh well, I guess I'll get used to it in time,_ Naru figured.

She walked through the halls, trying to remember where to go. The lower levels weren't _THAT_ big, so it probably wouldn't take long. Along the way, Naru turned to see her faint reflection in the polished, metal wall, and stopped for a moment.

There she was, finally in her up-to-date X-Men uniform, a superhero costume everyone insisted she had earned the right to wear. Never would she have imagined such a day would come. And how often had she dreamed of one of those sailor fukus magically appearing on her, heralding a far different destiny?

But her own destiny was on a path different from Usagi and her friends. Thankfully, this didn't make Naru as sad as it once did. Makoto was right. There was an opportunity here at this school, and she had to seize it. And even though fate had different plans for both Naru and Usagi, and an ocean separated them now, Naru felt closer to her old friend than she had in a long time. They both had different battles ahead, but the cause they fought for was now the same.

At last, Naru found the entrance to the Danger Room. The huge metal doors with the X symbol slid open, as if expecting her. Of course, she was due for her first-ever training session. It was quite dark inside. Like most of the lower levels, the walls were of that cold, polished, silvery-grey metal, but arranged in squares, like a grid. It was similar with the floor. However, there was also a circular arrangement to everything, culminating in a huge, circular platform at the center, where there was a big, glowing X.

Naru was taking all this in, and almost didn't sense that two people moved in behind her as she walked deeper into the Danger Room. She turned and suppressed a gasp. Two rather big men eyed her appraisingly.

The first was a bald, dark-skinned man with an M tattooed over his right eye. Like her, he wore a sleeveless black uniform, but also had a red scarf. He brandished a rather huge rifle Naru would rather not be on the receiving end of, invulnerability or no. The other guy was even bigger, though his skin wasn't nearly as dark. He also wore a sleeveless uniform, but it had some differences. The design of an eagle's head was affixed above the center of the X on his torso. He also wore a domino mask and some face paint. Naru could see feathers poking out from whatever he used to tie back his hair, whereas she only had some black string tying back her own. He packed as much muscle as Colossus, perhaps more, and Naru suspected he didn't need to turn to living steel to outmuscle her.

"Er, hi," Naru finally got out. "I'm, uh, Naru Osaka... Y'know, Eclipse? I'm, uh, reporting for my first training session. Are, uh, you two my instructors?"

"Lucas Bishop and James Proudstar will be assisting in this lesson, yes. I requested their participation, to show you how experienced, battle-hardened X-Men operate, lest you begin thinking you're already quite the expert after getting lucky on Asteroid M," came a voice that sounded familiar. Naru turned to it and shivered. Unlike most of the other X-Men, this Emma Frost insisted on wearing white, making her stand out from the other students a good distance behind her. Naru recalled Kitty didn't exactly trust her. She had a sinking feeling she was about to find out why.

As Frost sauntered toward them, Proudstar eyed her icily. Naru wondered if he had a grudge against her, like Kitty did. "Give the girl a break, Frost," snapped Proudstar. "The lesson hasn't even begun. And say what you will about what happened on Asteroid M, but Osaka's shown she's got plenty to offer."

"I agree," added Bishop. "In the X.S.E., a 'veteran' was someone who survived the first battle."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, guys," said Naru sheepishly.

"Still, a good deal of training is necessary before Eclipse can be permitted to enter the fray again," Frost said coldly. "And she will be working with people much different from the Sailor Senshi. So come, Ms. Osaka, and meet your squadmates, who are also more or less full-fledged X-Men."

Frost turned to walk back to those other girls in uniform. Confused, Naru looked back to Bishop and Proudstar. Bishop nodded silently, telling her to follow Frost.

There were four other girls, all a bit older than her, standing together in a line. At the far left was another girl of Asian descent. Along with her black uniform, she had a yellow coat and weird, pink sunglasses. Next to her... was something out of a fairy tale! A girl with pink hair, pointed ears, and wings like a fairy!? Unsurprisingly, she seemed quite cheery, a stark contrast to the girl at her left. She also had pink hair, but far more noticeable was the crown of bone sprouting from her forehead, making her look demonic. Bits of bone protruded along her bare arms as well, and Naru could see more sprouting from her back! At the far right was a girl with long, black hair, and also had a sleeveless uniform. There didn't seem to be anything outlandish about her, except she had a colder air than even Frost. Like Bishop and Proudstar, she eyed Naru appraisingly.

"Naru Osaka, allow me to introduce you to Laura Kinney, Sarah, better known as Marrow, Megan Gwynn and Jubilation Lee, better known as Jubilee," said Frost, indicating each of them in turn.

"Er, um, hello," Naru said nervously before bowing, remembering too late that wasn't exactly the custom here in America. "You might've heard of me, Eclipse... It's, uh, nice to meet all of you..."

Jubilee stepped forward, eyeing Naru up and down. "Yeah, we've heard of you. Hmmm, also hails from the East, came from a rich family, lost it tragically, has a tendency to cause some serious hoopla..." Naru eyed Jubilee anxiously, but was still caught off-guard when Jubilee rushed forward and embraced her in a bear hug. "I have found my soulmate!" she teasingly declared. Naru just stood there, frozen in place. This certainly wasn't customary in Japan, except if your name was Usagi Tsukino. Judging by the looks from the other X-girls, it wasn't exactly normal here either.

"Wow, Jubes, give her a little room to breathe," said Megan.

"Yeah Jubilee, there'll be plenty of time to drag her to the mall later," added Marrow brusquely. "For now, we're here to see if she's got what it takes. Looking at her now... Seriously, _THIS_ is the girl that had all the norms in Japan crapping their pants?"

"Indeed she is, Marrow," said Frost. "There's a reason Xavier put considerable effort into recruiting both her and her boyfriend. In fact, he has volunteered to help monitor this first training session, given how he encouraged Osaka to practice using her powers the last few months."

The girls' gazes drifted up to the window up above, beyond which was the control center for the Danger Room. Umino, seeing this, waved anxiously, withering a little under the gazes of all these new mutant girls.

"You must be joking. _THAT_ little pencil neck's the guy you hooked up with, Osaka?" scoffed Marrow. Naru was quickly realizing Marrow was that one teammate everyone had trouble getting along with. Laura also came off as cold, and remained silent. Would she be difficult as well? "I've hunted down and munched on rats sturdier-looking than him!"

Naru was about to throw up in her mouth a little when Laura said, "Perhaps so, Sarah. Yet I imagine Eclipse with break every bone in your body should you even look at him funny. And then force-feed you the ones you house externally." She delivered that in such a calm, matter-of-fact way, even her teammates, possibly used to it, looked taken aback.

Still, Jubilee looked more amused than anything else. "Damn Laura, really?"

Laura looked to her, puzzled. "What, too cliché?"

Jubilee thought for a moment, then said, "Naw, it was pretty good."

Naru felt like this was getting out of control. This was her introduction to people she would be working with for a long time. They were already joking about her pasting people, as if the old Eclipse was among them.

Thankfully, Frost broke it up. "As you'll soon see, Eclipse is indeed a formidable fighter. It's up to us, however, to get her used to being part of a team. Our team. There are many techniques essential to operating as an X-Man that Eclipse has yet to learn, as I shall now demonstrate." Frost fiddled with some sort of control pad. "Ms. Osaka, you are aware of what the Danger Room does, right?"

"Uh, yeah, Sailor Moon explained it to me first," said Naru. "It uses a bunch of machines and holograms so we can practice using our powers, right?"

"Among other things," said Frost. "Allow me to demonstrate the hologram part." She hit a button, and suddenly a piano materialized out of thin air.

Naru stared at it blankly. "I-I-I don't get it. What, am I supposed to play it or something? What's..." Naru fell silent when her arm reached out, shooting out a tendril, against her will. It wrapped around the piano, raised it several meters above her, then retracted.

The other girls jumped back as the piano came crashing down onto Naru. Naru was so baffled by what happened, it took her a moment to rise up from the piano's mangled frame, splinters and piano cords flying everywhere. Marrow hadn't even tried to hold back her laughter, but Jubilee and Megan at least stifled their giggles, albeit not very well. Laura, Bishop and Proudstar just looked on, nonchalant.

"Making me drop a piano on myself!? Seriously!?" Naru demanded. "What, did you binge-watch a bunch of cartoons this morning!?"

"Just a friendly reminder that you've lost your protection against telepathic probes," said Frost coolly. "Which means, like the other non-psychic X-Men, you'll have to be trained to resist mental attack the old-fashioned way. To prevent someone like me from reaching into your head and doing _THIS_." Another tendril lashed out unbidden, this time flinging an anvil right toward Naru's face.

The impact didn't even make Naru topple. It simply knocked her silly for a second, her pride hurt far worse than her body. Now Naru truly understood why Usagi so dreaded having to face Ms. Haruna every day. She wondered if it was too late to fly back to Japan and get fitted for a sailor fuku.

Marrow guffawed again, and this time Jubilee and Megan couldn't hold back snickers. When Frost spoke again, though, it was they who got the tongue-lashing.

"I'd advise you not to alienate Ms. Osaka so soon, ladies. For the upcoming simulation, you may have to rely on her intimate knowledge of the threat you face."

That got Jubilee and Megan to stop giggling and pay attention. Even Laura looked a bit concerned. "I don't understand, Ms. Frost," said Laura. "Just what sort of simulation is this?"

"Ms. Osaka is a close friend of the Sailor Senshi, don't forget, and will be our liaison for our future dealings with them," said Frost. "And through our partnership with the Sailor Senshi, we have a wealth of new information, regarding menaces we never knew existed. And past threats that will make excellent training material." Frost looked up to the control station. "Mr. Umino, boot up our first simulation." Umino nodded anxiously, then got to work typing in commands.

"Ooooh baby, new bad guys to beat up!" cried Jubilee, slinging an arm over Naru's shoulders. Naru just looked to her, bemused. Jubilee was indeed friendly, but quite different from Usagi, and would take some time getting used to being around. "Don't worry, Naru, we got your back. And Marrow's right, you know. Once we're done slogging it out in here, we've _GOT_ to hit Manhattan and light up the town! Granted, I bring the light while you the darkness, but still..."

"Let's just concentrate on getting through this session without looking like fools, Jubilee," Megan admonished. "So Eclipse, any idea what it is we'll be facing?"

Naru shook her head. "There's... been a lot of enemies the Sailor Senshi have fought, real powerful ones..."

"Oh come on," scoffed Marrow. "How hard can supervillains who got beat by a bunch of prissy Japanese schoolgirls running around in short skirts really be?"

Naru fought the urge to slap Marrow silly, and didn't even trust herself to open her mouth to fire back. Bishop, however, filled in for her. "From what I've read of the files exchanged during our partnership with them, Sarah, I think you'll be surprised."

And then, without warning, the Danger Room did its thing. In the blink of an eye, everything changed. It went from a cold, sterile, spacious chamber to a landscape dotted by the crumbling remains of some palace. Naru got a look at the ground beneath the smoldering ruins. Was that... rocks and dirt like that on the moon!? Panicking, Naru looked up to the starry, night sky, and saw Earth instead of the moon.

"OK, _NOW_ I think I know who we're fighting," said Naru anxiously. "I'm hope I'm wrong, but..."

Cackling laughter cut Naru off. Naru spun to see exactly what she feared, standing a few dozen meters away. She had never seen this woman in person, but after spotting her projected image, Naru knew exactly who this was supposed to be. A pale-skinned woman with long, cascading red hair and a purple dress, with spikes protruding from her shoulders and clutching a staff with a glowing orb fixed at the end. This had to be Queen Beryl, the one who caused the collapse of the kingdom in Usagi's past life.

And of course, she was flanked by her four generals. Naru could pick out Jadeite and Kunzite, as Usagi had talked about them, even pointing out that she had seen the former before. Zoisite, however, Naru remembered all too well. The only face in the universe more punchable than Fabian Cortez's. But her rising rage was quelled upon seeing Nephrite's projection. Cold and calculating, no trace of the man who learned of love again, and sacrificed for it. After how he saved her again only weeks ago, it was still too soon. Frost might as well have had her mother be the new Dark Phoenix host or something.

"Ha ha ha ha ha! Queen Serenity has fallen, and her kingdom now crumbles at my feet!" Queen Beryl brayed. "You X-Men are too late to save her reign from Queen Beryl, and will suffer the same fate!"

"OK, not too original with the hammy supervillain speech, I'm sorry to say," said Jubilee.

Naru just glared at Frost. "Ms. Frost, you are pure evil."

"So I've been told," said Frost dismissively, not even looking at her. "Anyway, we have met the enemy, so it's time to go to work. As a team, don't forget. First, we launch our opening salvo, to soften their defenses..."

Frost pressed her fingers against her temples. Without Nephrite's passive protection, Naru could _FEEL_ the psychic energy radiating from her new teacher. Those projections of Queen Beryl and the Shitennou felt it more. Beryl clutched her head with her free hand, screaming, while her generals fell to their knees.

"And while you have your opening, strike in unison!" Frost finished. She charged ahead, cape billowing behind her, motioning for all of them to do the same. As she ran, Naru saw Frost's body changing the way Colossus's did, only she became glistening, living diamond instead of metal. Frost ran up the length of a fallen, white pillar, then jumped off the end, aiming to bring her fist crashing down onto Beryl's skull.

Queen Beryl, unfortunately, had other plans. It was no surprise even a simulated projection of Usagi's oldest foe could shake off a telepathic whammy fast. As Frost came down, Beryl snarled and swung her staff. There was the crackle of dark energy, and Frost was blasted away, her body smashing into part of the decimated palace.

Naru risked a moment to glance at where Frost's body had disappeared. "Oh yeah, I'm filled with confidence about my new teacher," Naru scoffed.

"Eyes up, Eclipse! Stay sharp!" admonished Proudstar, who had Bishop's flank. Bishop had been firing that rifle while charging ahead.

Kunzite, however, had been protecting himself with some sort of forcefield, and now went on the attack. Weird, bladed boomerangs made of pure energy lashed out at the pair. Proudstar drew a pair of knives, crossing them in front of himself to block a shot, while Bishop did nothing to defend himself. He allowed Kunzite's attacks to land, and his body seemed to suck them up, while those knives did the same. The next instant, Bishop channeled that energy right back at Kunzite as Proudstar slashed the air with his knives, hurling back that energy as well. Kunzite barely got his forcefield back up in time, and the sudden onslaught hammered him to his knees.

 _Well, those two got Kunzite covered. Now to starting pulling my weight,_ Naru thought. She looked around, noting all the debris from the fallen palace, and grinned wickedly. Oily tendrils shot out everywhere, grabbing up huge chunks. Naru flung them at Beryl and the other generals as fast as she could, forcing them to fall back as they blasted apart the projectiles.

"Woohoo, look at the newbie go!" cried Jubilee. She vaulted herself over another fallen pillar with one hand, her other clenched in a fist. Naru could see globs of multicolored, glowing somethings fluttering around Jubilee's fist. "But now it's time to get my licks in! Eat a plasmoid flash, sucka!" Jubilee brayed as she flung those globs right at Nephrite's face, just as he blasted apart the last of Naru's volley. They exploded around Nephrite in a flurry of blinding, brilliant light, powerful enough to make him stagger back, crying out in pain. "Marrow, that one's wide open! Waste him!"

Naru got a glimpse of Marrow sneaking up behind Nephrite, reaching behind her. She actually drew two of those bones protruding from her back out of her body! They were like daggers! With a howl of fury, Marrow struck, her bone daggers slashing deep. Nephrite howled and came at her with a spinning kick, but Marrow was swift enough to duck under it and strike again. This time, though, Nephrite blocked her strike, but Marrow was proving to be a challenge up close and personal. Considering how easily Nephrite dealt with Zoisite's minions, that was saying something.

Meanwhile, Jadeite had taken to the air, but that was Megan's element as well. She flew circles around Jadeite, and Naru saw some weird dust spread out from those wings. "What in... Where did all these flying, singing pink bunnies come from!?" Jadeite demanded, swatting away at the air.

 _Some sort of hallucinogen?_ Naru wondered. _Oh well, might as well take advantage of it._ Naru grabbed a hunk of moon rock twice her size and hurled it up at Jadeite. It smashed into Jadeite while those hallucinogenic visions distracted him, taking him far from the battlefield.

That hardly bought Naru any respite. No one had Zoisite covered. Naru heard that infuriating chuckle of his right before a flurry of those flower petals rained down. Naru ducked and rolled out of the way, but when she looked up, she saw Zoisite had readied a volley of fire. "Zoi!" he cried, unleashing his fireballs.

They would have seared Naru's hide, had Laura not dove and knocked her out of the way. Laura's tackle knocked the two of them behind cover. Still, Naru could feel the heat from Zoisite's pyrotechnics, not to mention hear his taunting. "Come, Naru, we're not playing hide-and-seek, are we? What would the Sailor Senshi think, if they saw you now?"

Projection or not, Naru was ready to jump back out and pound Zoisite's face to mush. Laura grabbed her wrist before she could. "Wait a moment, Osaka. I take it this one is quite vain and conceited, and thus easily flustered by the unexpected?"

Naru stared at Laura for a moment. "Uh, you could say that."

"Then help me handle him," said Laura. "My... father tells me you've already mastered the delicate art of the fastball special."

"Your father?" Naru asked dubiously.

Laura raised her fists, and out popped two gleaming, razor-sharp claws from each hand, the center ones mysteriously absent. Naru gaped at them for a moment, suddenly understanding. There was a lot Logan had yet to tell her about himself, obviously.

It would have to wait. Zoisite had hovered around and spotted them, ready to fling more fireballs. Naru nodded to Laura, then grabbed her and hurled her up at Zoisite. Zoisite's face fell in horror and confusion as Laura shrieked. Her claws sank into his heart and gut, and they both tumbled to the ground.

"Well, first day on the job is going better than I hoped," Naru told herself, trying to bolster her confidence. But the simulation was far from over. Naru looked around, and saw Beryl blast apart a chunk of a pillar Frost threw at her, then blasted Frost away again. Megan tried to close in on Beryl, wielding some sort of glowing dagger.

Unfortunately, Beryl's ensnared Megan with her hair, then slammed her to the ground, knocking her out. Beryl whirled around, aiming her staff at Jubilee. Jubilee tried to counter her attack with those weird fireworks, but they were nothing compared to what Beryl could dish out. She tried to roll aside to avoid the barrage, but some of it still struck her, eliciting a shriek from Jubilee.

Beryl grinned evilly, aiming her staff again at Jubilee, who lay on the ground, twitching. She was so like Usagi, outgoing and welcoming... The sight of Jubilee being treated like this filled Naru with rage. In an eyeblink, Naru teleported herself right behind Beryl. As Beryl turned around, Naru said, "Princess Serenity says hello," right before planting a fist in Beryl's face.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Umino was overseeing the Danger Room session, but he was hardly the only one privy to what was transpiring. Emma Frost's own Hellfire Club once had an infiltrator bug the school's own systems. What made them think the same couldn't be done by another, and far more subtly?

Naru Osaka's first-ever Danger Room session played out on several screen feeds. The likenesses of Queen Beryl and the Shitennou were not going down easily. But the White Queen's opening telepathic whammy, and the X-Men hitting them so fast and hard they couldn't rally and use teamwork themselves, gave the X-Men an edge early on. And Naru Osaka, the infamous Eclipse, was working seamlessly with the X-Men, as if she had been fighting alongside them all her life.

"Interesting, quite interesting," Nathaniel Essex muttered to himself as he watched her training session. He swiveled in his chair to look at another screen, his blood-red eyes narrowing in anticipation. Eclipse's punch had slammed Beryl into a bit of wreckage, yet the sorceress was getting back on her feet. "I wonder, would the genuine article prove as resilient?" he asked no one in particular. Eclipse closed in again, throwing punch after punch, but Beryl blocked her blows with her staff, the dark power coursing through it dissipating their force.

"Magneto really lost out when this one slipped through his fingers," said Scalphunter. He stood behind Mr. Sinister's chair, beside his fellow Marauder Arclight. "The kid's a powerhouse, that's for sure."

"I could take her," scoffed Arclight. She pounded her fists together. Mr. Sinister caught the momentary flash from the power Arclight kept bottled up. "This kid thinks she's hot stuff? Give her five minutes alone with her, and the little lady'll learn a thing or two about punching above her weight class."

"In time, Philippa, in time," said Mr. Sinister slyly. "For now, the poor dear has been through a good deal. Give her time to finish mourning her losses, allow her this brief respite among the X-Men. In the end, Naru Osaka will serve my needs."

"You mean by harvestin' her DNA, the way Magneto hoped to do?" asked Scalphunter. "There's somethin' special about some of her mutant genes, right? Magneto couldn't hang onto any samples, but you'll snag some soon, I bet."

"Of course, John. After all, I like to keep genetic samples of all the X-Men," said Mr. Sinister. "And indeed, there is something unique about the dark power Eclipse wields. Magneto had some inkling of just how special it is, but unsurprisingly, he couldn't quite grasp the whole picture. But alas, ultimately it's not Naru Osaka herself that will further our goals."

"I don't get it, Sinister," said Arclight. "If her powers got more use than even Magneto knew about..."

"You know me, Philippa, I strive for perfection," said Mr. Sinister. "As great as Eclipse's potential is, ultimately her mutant gene for dark power was a hand-me-down. Furthermore, her experiences with Magneto and Erina Kizachi have left her less... malleable to my influence. She will be on guard for some time. No, I will require aid from the genuine article."

"The genuine article?" Arclight repeated dubiously. "But who's..." She followed his gaze, at another screen showing the battle between Eclipse and the projection of Queen Beryl that raged on. Clearly, Eclipse wanted her for herself. "Hold it, you mean Queen Beryl herself? But how? When did you ever swipe some of her DNA, to be cloned after death like us Marauders?"

"A resurrection such as this cannot be accomplished merely by my cloning techniques, sadly," said Mr. Sinister, smiling as he pressed his fingers together. "It will be some time before things are in readiness, but our eager new X-Man will ultimately be the key to bringing Beryl into our fold. The Sailor Senshi believe they are rid of their old nemesis forever. How wrong they will soon learn they are. In the meantime, other pieces must be moved into place, pieces you know about. What is our progress on that front?"

"We've reached out to Cain Marko, promising a steady, long-term gig," said Scalphunter. "He hasn't bitten just yet, but enough green and a shot at pulping X-pukes oughta bring the Juggernaut around in the end."

"As for Selene, she's got a steady gig still in the Hellfire Club," said Arclight. "Getting her to do double-duty for us sounds like a tall order, but she sounded intrigued."

"Oh, I imagine she did," said Mr. Sinister knowingly. "Very well, this is promising. It almost makes up for your failure a month ago. You were quick to mock Magneto for letting Eclipse slip through his fingers, Scalphunter? What about how Wade Wilson slipped through all of yours?"

Mr. Sinister smiled again, hearing the two Marauders shift about anxiously. Their punishment for allowing Deadpool to escape their ambush had been quite... severe. Worse, S.H.I.E.L.D. now took an interest in them. Such complications were most unwelcome.

A soft chuckle from the shadows added to Scalphunter and Arclight's displeasure. They groaned as they turned to the sound. "Good thing there's still time before we need him too, right Essex?" jeered the girl. "Otherwise your flunkies would've needed Wilson's healing factor too."

Mr. Sinister swiveled his chair around to stare at his newest pupil. The girl's face was still obscured by shadow, but given how she wore mostly black, she might as well just have disappeared in the darkness like Nightcrawler. She essentially wore a flight suit with armor plating, but the parts visible along her arms and legs had an organic quality. Like a mix of muscle tissue and writhing vines. Worked into those portions along her arms were circular depressions with spinning gears inside. The girl had designed the suit herself, not trusting in him to help, no doubt suspicious he would slip in something nasty if she ever got out of line.

Mr. Sinister smiled at the thought. The girl would go far. "Curious, I would imagine you'd be most anxious to acquire Wilson sooner," he said teasingly.

"For now, let my mother languish in prison as cancer eats away at her," the girl spat. "We've got a good year or so, so no rush."

"Now now, I've come to admire the woman," Mr. Sinister admonished. "It's not often I come across someone so adept at playing so many sides against each other. Not to mention, like me, she was not born a mutant, but sees the necessity of their ascendancy. It's a pity, though, how a shortsighted need for retribution blinded her, that she resigned herself to never seeing how it all played out."

"She was blinded by plenty of other things before my 'death'. Before you found me and gave me a new lease on life, after the Makai Tree decimated that condo," the girl said testily. She leaned forward a little, and Mr. Sinister could see her lips twist into a snarl. "You can argue that everything she did, she did in my name. It doesn't change how beforehand, she wasn't exactly Mother of the Year."

"Yet we both know that it's in our best interests to ultimately save your mother, Erika," Mr. Sinister reminded her.

"Don't call me that anymore," Erika snapped. "Erika Kizachi more or less died when the Makai Tree wrecked the condo. What you later revived is someone entirely different, I realize that now."

"I see," said Mr. Sinister, leaning forward a little in his chair. "Then tell me, my dear, what would you have us call you?"

A pause on Erika's part. "I've given it a lot of thought. Ironically, it comes down to the happier memories with my mother. Namely, that one vacation, where we unearthed Babylonian artifacts. I've studied that ancient civilization for a while, its beliefs, its gods. There's one in particular that's fascinated me, and the word's meaning in English perfectly embodies what I've become." Erika stepped forward into the light, which made her long, blond hair glisten. It was done up in twintails, similar to Sailor Moon's. But instead of odangos, two hair scrunchies resembling black roses held them in place. Sparkling, blue eyes filled with bitterness narrowed at them. "Sin."


End file.
